MÜSİAD Services Sector Board - Türkiye Consultation Meeting

23 December 2023, Balıkesir

Esteemed members of our MÜSİAD,

Distinguished representatives of our business world,

Honourable ladies and gentlemen,

Welcome, one and all, to our Türkiye Consultation Meeting organized by our MÜSİAD Services Sector Board under the main theme of “Gastronomy in the New Century”; your presence honours us…

As we leave the year 2023 behind, we as MÜSİAD are once again leaving behind us this year a great many fine works and many lasting achievements. Praise be to God, while we expand our international and domestic organization with each passing day, we also add new ones every day to our work through organizations and activities worthy of the name of our MÜSİAD. May God be pleased with everyone who has given labour and effort. May God not let our efforts go to waste.

We are holding today's important meeting under the hosting of our MÜSİAD Balıkesir Branch. I thank our esteemed Branch President and our Branch Board of Directors once again for their efforts. May God be pleased with them.

At the very beginning of my remarks, I would like to draw your attention to the atrocities in Gaza that have deeply affected us all, and to touch upon a few important points.

As you know, Israel has for decades pursued a barbaric regime of occupation and a savage, discriminatory policy in Palestine, holding human rights and international law in utter contempt. The genocide and massacre it has most recently committed in Gaza has crossed every red line and deeply wounded the conscience of humanity. Once again we condemn this barbaric genocide carried out by Israel with the backing of the United States and certain European countries; we condemn Israel, which slaughters our innocent brothers and sisters, journalists and humanitarian aid workers, and we condemn its supporters. The investigation of the war crimes committed in Gaza and in other parts of Palestine, and the calling to account of those responsible sooner or later, will be among the matters that we too will follow closely. Furthermore, we will support every humanitarian aid effort undertaken for our brothers and sisters in Gaza, and we ourselves will carry out new campaigns for Palestine.

I would like to underline one truth once again: the current international system, which is unable to produce justice and peace, has gone bankrupt. As our esteemed President has stated, “A just world is possible”, and God willing it is we who will build that world. All that is needed is that we stand shoulder to shoulder with self-sacrifice, that we be one and together…

Dear friends, esteemed guests,

MÜSİAD is the most productive, the most important and the most hardworking business world organization in our country.

MÜSİAD is native and national. MÜSİAD is independent, and it transforms the future. MÜSİAD is honest; it abides by right and by law. MÜSİAD is sincere; above all else it says homeland and nation.

MÜSİAD addresses hearts above all else. For affection begins in the heart. That is why we are a civil society organization that works on the basis of volunteerism. Each one of us carries out this work and these meetings by giving up our commercial activities, our families or our own time.

But our intention is pure, and our cause is that of the homeland and the nation. Our intention is that our country may develop a little further… Every step taken for the welfare of our nation is a source of pride for us. For Almighty God does not let a pure intention come to nothing.

The labour we expend and the steps we take for the development of our country are at the same time the founding philosophy of MÜSİAD. When MÜSİAD was founded 33 years ago, it was built precisely upon this “pure intention”. Together with our members who joined us believing that MÜSİAD represents these values, we have left behind 33 full and fruitful years. God willing, we will continue on our path for many more years to come.

On this occasion, I thank everyone who has supported us and given labour on this journey, from our founding president to the newest member to join the MÜSİAD Family, and I pray for the mercy of God (may His glory be exalted) upon those who have passed away.

Most esteemed MÜSİAD Family,

At today's Türkiye Consultation Meeting, I intend to make an assessment of the year 2023 in very broad outline.

As you know, the Russia-Ukraine War, as a global problem carried over from 2022 into 2023, affected many politicians and decision-makers at the international level. Türkiye, which in 2022 — a year spent in the shadow of this global problem — achieved the distinction of being the 3rd fastest-growing country in the G20 with %5.6, entered 2023 with that same motivation. Indeed, in January, increases of %10.3 in exports, %4.5 in industrial production, %33.9 in retail sales and %94 in total turnover were recorded on an annual basis; and the unemployment rate had fallen to the level of %9.7.

However, together with the “disaster of the century” that we experienced at the very beginning of the year, we found ourselves face to face with a great climate of crisis. The two great earthquakes centred on Kahramanmaraş on 6 February not only caused a great loss of life, but also completely interrupted economic activity in 11 of our provinces in the Eastern region.

But, praise be to God, our nation once again showed its greatness and how magnanimous it is. From the very first hours of the earthquake it gave its all and displayed great devotion. Thank God; during the earthquake period, our state and our nation acted in a spirit of national solidarity and bound up the wounds, thus making it possible for the reconstruction and rebuilding of our stricken provinces to begin swiftly.

Despite these earthquakes, described as a great catastrophe, the Turkish economy, which showed great resilience by growing %4 in the first quarter of the year, sustained this performance in the second quarter as well and moved forward positively within the global economy by growing %3.9.

Finally, the Turkish economy, which grew %5.9 in the third quarter of the year, succeeded in becoming the 2nd fastest-growing country in the G20 in this period as well.

On the other hand, at a time when our country, together with the leading economies, is confronting the problem of inflation and is in a process of monetary tightening, the acceleration of the Turkish economy's growth rate is a development that deserves appreciation. Ultimately, price increases are also expected to fall to far more reasonable levels, particularly as of the second half of 2024.

The expansion of the services sector by %4.3, the industrial sector by %5.7 and the construction sector by %8.1 in the third quarter pointed to across-the-board growth. The growth performance of %5.9 will, in these days as we approach the end of the year, be a very great source of motivation for 2024 as well.

In these days when the 100th anniversary of the proclamation of our Republic is being marked, Türkiye — with a national income of USD 905.5 billion, exports that have left the level of USD 250 billion behind and a labour market with employment exceeding 31 million, as a result of the steps taken particularly over the past 20 years — has succeeded in becoming a great power both globally and regionally.

We have full confidence that our country, which has carried the flag of exports to more than 200 countries and has made very great strides in many fields from the economy to infrastructure and urbanization, from education to health, will sustain this success in the coming period as well and will enter the ranks of the world's 10 largest economies in the “Century of Türkiye”.

In line with this goal, we as the MÜSİAD family will bind ourselves together ever more strongly against regional and global shocks, and with a spirit of solidarity we will support one another by mounting a trade mobilization.

Esteemed MÜSİAD Family,

While we are on the subject, I would like to say a few words about the importance and the great potential of our province of Balıkesir, in whose hosting we have come together.

Essentially, with an economy based on agriculture, tourism, industry, forestry and machinery, Balıkesir is a province of ours rich in forests and forest products. % 52 of the world's boron reserves are located here. Along with nearly 100 large industrial enterprises, some 5,000 small industrial enterprises are in operation.

In 2022, exports of approximately USD 935 million were made in our province of Balıkesir, which ranked 25th among Türkiye's largest exporting provinces with the %17.6 increase it achieved compared with the previous year. Within this, the combined share of the fisheries and animal products sectors was around % 22.2.

When we look at the other sectors, the electrical-electronics sector with USD 144.5 million, the automotive sector with USD 79.7 million and the ready-made clothing and apparel sector with USD 73.1 million have also come to the fore as Balıkesir's other leading export groups.

In this period, in Balıkesir, which succeeded in exporting goods and services to a total of 155 countries, the first three places were taken by Iraq, the United States and Germany.

Balıkesir's successful export performance continued without slowing in 2023 as well. In the January-November period of the year, an increase of %16.8 was recorded compared with the same period of the previous year. Thus, Balıkesir's export volume reached the level of USD 987.3 million. With these exports, Balıkesir, which rose to 20th place among our country's largest exporting provinces of 2023, will join the ranks of our provinces exceeding the USD 1 billion threshold once the data for the December period is added.

I hope that in the coming periods we will be granted the chance to see our province of Balıkesir in the top 10 with this effort and this potential. God willing, in 2024 our country will be the centre of sincerity and goodness as much as of abundance and plenty.

Dear friends,

I wish that our Türkiye Consultation Meeting, organized by our MÜSİAD Services Sector Board under the hosting of our MÜSİAD Balıkesir Branch, may bring good to the MÜSİAD community above all, and to our country and our nation.

I greet you all with my most heartfelt feelings.

May God protect you.

Mahmut Asmalı

President of MÜSİAD