MÜSİAD 1ST REGIONAL DIGITAL TRADE FAIR

7 JULY 2020

ONLINE

Esteemed MÜSİAD branch presidents and Members,

Esteemed Representatives of our National and International Business World,

I say welcome to the region's first digital fair held on a broad scale, and I respectfully greet you all.

Distinguished Participants,

The Mediterranean and the Aegean, which are the regions of activity of the participating companies of our fair, are two important regions that bring a smile to our faces in our country's foreign trade.

Therefore, here today we are hosting our companies participating from provinces of ours that constitute a strength not only for the region but for the national economy, and business people from different regions of the world.

As you know, the Covid-19 pandemic, which has taken our country and the whole world under its influence, has led to a number of changes in every area of our lives, above all in the business world. Constituting a threat in many respects when its social, societal and economic repercussions are also considered, and not only in terms of public health, the pandemic has caused damage on a serious scale. From the very first weeks in which the pandemic emerged, strict measures aimed at minimizing the spread of the disease and its effects have been taken all over the world, and continue to be taken. For example, our planning of this meeting, which brings together business world representatives from many of our cities with business people from different regions of the world, in a digital environment rather than face to face and in person, is likewise an alternative we have created within the scope of these measures. For business people such as ourselves, who are accustomed to establishing a bond of the heart by making contact with one another and by first asking after the other person's well-being, it is an extremely different and, let us admit, difficult process. But we are business people; we have the ability to do business in all kinds of hard circumstances, under any conditions. Even under these conditions we are obliged to continue contributing to the economies of our countries. We do not have the luxury of stopping or of catching our breath.

We are witnessing that not only Türkiye but all the actors of the global economy without exception are passing through a highly critical process because of the covid-19 virus outbreak. However long this process may last, we believe that afterwards we will find ourselves within a story in which nothing will be as it was before.

Until today, expressions such as “a new story, change, transformation” have begun to be voiced more loudly after every great crisis.

For example, after the 2008 financial crisis too we were speaking of a brand-new global system. However, although every change carries within it a number of uncertainties, we see that the coronavirus pandemic presents us with far more unknowns than past crises. We can predict that many of the problems that have persisted since the 2008 crisis will continue to exert their effect on the global economy in far different formats and at far different levels. Foremost among these will be the further hardening of the power struggle in the global economy. Indeed, we observe that the US-China rivalry, which has peaked over the past few years with the discourses of “trade wars” and “new protectionism”, has taken on a new dimension with the covid-19 crisis. In addition to this, the future of the EU, which is among the regions where the virus has spread fastest, also remains uncertain. Proceeding from the fact that the global system will be in search of a new order after the pandemic, we too must make all our preparations in this direction. At the end of the day, the countries that better manage the effects of the virus outbreak on their own society and economy will rise to a highly advantageous position in the probable global and regional distribution of power after the pandemic. For example, this pandemic has reminded the whole world once again of the importance of national industry. We see that economies based solely on the services sector have naturally taken far heavier damage in this process, whereas our country has differentiated itself positively from other countries with its existing industrial capacity.

In this context, thanks to our flexible production capacity and our proximity to large markets, we comfortably state that, compared with neighbouring countries, Türkiye is a candidate to become a great production base. We believe that this opportunity will offer scope within a very broad framework, covering many of our sectors and production power of every capacity. Of course, this process will also have sectors that differentiate themselves both positively and, unfortunately, negatively. At first glance, we can say that it carries the potential to provide great advantages for medical supplies and services, food production and retail, information and communication technologies and the e-commerce sector.

As for the sectors that will be most adversely affected by the pandemic process, we can predict that these will be tourism and accommodation, air, sea and land transport of every kind, the fair industry, entertainment, automotive and construction.

However, in the period ahead, the importance attached by all enterprises, without distinction of sector, to the tools supporting virtual working and communication, and their investments in them, will also record a rapid increase.

On the other hand, in order to ensure continuity in the workforce, interest in digitalization will also increase. The digitalization process, if it is well utilized, will bring many advantages with it. Particularly if the interest and appetite of our SMEs for digitalization increases, a serious productivity gain will be achieved in production.

Again in this context, e-exports, a highly profitable and high-volume line of business, also holds significant potential. For this reason, thanks to our dynamic population and our ability to do business, it is imperative that we act by correctly reading the requirements of this transformation. As a result of the additional supports offered and to be offered for the real sector and our consumers in the domestic market, and of making good use of the possible environments of opportunity that will arise in foreign markets, we believe that as a country we will close this process with the least damage.

Distinguished Participants,

MÜSİAD, with its members, its friends and all the stakeholders with whom it walks towards the same goal, is a strong capital platform and a large, deep-rooted family rarely matched in the world. This fine family is a loyal structure that, in bad days as in good, and whenever its members fall into hardship, never remains indifferent to those in need of help but extends its hand to them.

With this sense of responsibility, we as MÜSİAD, during the Covid-19 Pandemic process that has profoundly shaken the whole world, have carried out and continue to carry out various efforts in addition to our state's measures in order to minimize its economic and social impact. Making use also of the great advantage provided by our widespread organizational network, which organized itself rapidly and successfully, we delivered our aid to our citizens in need. During the pandemic process, a large part of commercial activity was interrupted, and our tradespeople above all, our business people and commercial establishments entered a serious bottleneck. We are analysing the situation realistically and working day and night on the ways to emerge from this process with the least damage.

Distinguished Participants,

As MÜSİAD, we have been working for the development of Türkiye since the day we were founded, and through the organizations we hold we make a great contribution to our country's progress. As business people devoted to Türkiye, we strive ceaselessly and, with the organizational network we have established in all four corners of the world, we open doors of opportunity for all our business people, above all our members.

In line with Türkiye's 2023 vision, we act with the motto “Our Cause is Türkiye” and, through the events we organize, we bring together domestic and foreign business people. In order to increase the effectiveness of our country and our business world in world markets, this year, in which we celebrate our 30th anniversary, we will hold our MÜSİAD EXPO 2020 fair at the TÜYAP İstanbul Congress and Exhibition Centre.

At our fair, which we will hold for the first time in a “hybrid” format, that is, both physically at the fair centre and in a virtual environment for our business people who cannot come from abroad, this year as always we are bringing together the leading names of the business and political world. With IBF, B2B meetings and the new stand designs that reduce costs and provide a better appearance aesthetically, MÜSİAD EXPO once again offers rich content to the business world. The virtual meetings that will begin before the date of the fair will continue throughout the fair, and we believe that once again we will witness successful agreements and collaborations with great joy, and be the occasion for them.

We await all our members and business people who wish to grow their companies and find new markets at our MÜSİAD EXPO 2020 fair, which we will organize between 18 and 21 November with the support of the Ministry of Trade of the Republic of Türkiye and KOSGEB. Distinguished Participants,

The fact that fairs, which are an important marketing arena for countries and companies, are now taking place in a digital environment is one of the greatest proofs that we have entered a brand-new era both for the business world and for countries.

We have no doubt that the Digital Fair, at which hundreds of participants will set up stands today and thousands of regional and International visitors will log in, will pass extremely productively for us within the digitalization trend made compulsory by the pandemic.

I thank everyone who has given labour to this important organization, which hosts participants from many regions of the world and brings them together with our Turkish business people.

I hope that the fair will open the door to auspicious collaborations and bountiful earnings, and I greet you with respect and affection.

Abdurrahman Kaan

President of MÜSİAD