MÜSİAD EXPO 2024 / Gala Dinner Programme
28 November 2024
Honourable Speaker of the Grand National Assembly,
Valued representatives of the business world,
Esteemed members of the press,
Esteemed members of our MÜSİAD,
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen,
I greet you all with respect and affection.
We take great pleasure in being together with you at the Gala Dinner of our MÜSİAD EXPO Fair, which we are holding for the 20th time.
Together with MÜSİAD EXPO 2024, the largest trade fair in Türkiye and in our region, we have held very productive meetings for close to a week and have concluded very valuable business talks and partnerships.
We are happy and we are proud!
Esteemed participants, dear friends,
The Turkish economy has maintained its positive growth trend in recent years despite global difficulties. Our economy, which recorded growth of %5.3 in the first quarter of 2023 and %2.5 in the second quarter, has displayed an uninterrupted growth performance for 16 quarters. This success does not consist of figures alone; it is an indicator of Türkiye’s production- and employment-oriented development model.
However, we must not forget that the sustainability of growth depends on our production power and on the resilience of our industrial infrastructure. At this point, increasing our domestic production capacity, particularly in the manufacturing industry, is of vital importance. The pandemic process showed us all once again how fragile externally dependent economies are. Thanks to its strong industrial infrastructure, Türkiye displayed a flexible and resilient structure during this process.
Today our goal is to raise the share of our industrial production within GDP above %30 and to take our place among the world’s top 10 countries in the manufacturing industry. There is much that we need to do in order to reach this goal. We must solve our structural problems, focus on advanced technology and high value-added production, increase our qualified workforce and make our industry more competitive.
We too possess the strength and the potential to achieve this…
Türkiye’s geographical position, its strong industrial infrastructure and its capacity to focus on value-added production make it a safe haven for international investments. By making the best use of these advantages of ours, we are determined to carry our country to the place it deserves in the global economy.
As MÜSİAD, with the motto “High Morality, High Technology”, we have been working for 35 years for an economic structure that prioritizes production, employment and exports. Because we believe that only an order which places the human being at the centre and which is based on justice and solidarity will make lasting prosperity possible.
As we all know, the Turkish economy has gone through a great process of transformation, especially over the last 20 years. With the reforms implemented under the leadership of our Honourable President, our country is today advancing with confident steps towards its goal of becoming a regional and global production base. Had these transformations not been carried out, it would not have been possible for us to overcome the difficulties we face today in many fields, above all in the defence industry. We once again offer our gratitude to our Honourable President for this vision and this determination.
In the coming periods too, in the light of the Medium-Term Program, we must declare 2025 the year of reform and make a leap forward in every field from industry to trade. Accelerating our economic recovery process and strengthening our country with the “Century of Türkiye” vision is the common duty of us all.
As MÜSİAD, we will continue to work for an economic model based on justice and morality. Our aim is to establish an economic order that consumes in order to produce, not one that produces in order to consume. May God open the way of this noble nation and bless our efforts.
Esteemed participants, Esteemed MÜSİAD Family,
Today we are not speaking here only of the economy, of trade or of industry. Today we are also demonstrating the will to reach a common understanding on the fundamental issues that will shape our future. It is this will that will carry Türkiye to a stronger, more inclusive and more embracing level, not only economically but also democratically.
We have voiced that 2025 must be a year in which reforms are realized in every field. Every reform to be carried out, from the economy to industry, from democratic mechanisms to foreign trade, will also be a new step in building our future. The most important of the steps to be taken at this point is the work on a new constitution.
We know that making a new constitution will be one of the greatest steps in this country’s history of democracy. An inclusive and coherent constitution based on the principle of the separation of powers, guaranteeing the independence of the judiciary and protecting the right and the law of each and every citizen will reflect the common will of this nation. Because we believe that a new constitution will be not merely a legal text but also a powerful expression of our nation’s spirit of brotherhood and of its unity and solidarity.
What matters most in this process is, of course, sincere intention. The contribution of all the components of our society, of each and every one of its individuals, to this process will ensure that the constitution which emerges is everyone’s constitution.
The common wisdom and conscience of our nation will be our greatest guide in this great project that will build this country’s tomorrows. Because the real issue is to be able to take a decision for the good of our nation and to build an order that will be the guarantee of justice and equity.
Esteemed participants,
The year 2025 will be a year of reform for Türkiye. In this process, in which fundamental steps will be taken in every field from the economy to justice, from industry to education, we believe wholeheartedly that the work on the new constitution will also be the cornerstone of the reforms... A constitution worthy of this country’s potential, of its people and of its values of justice and brotherhood is indispensable for the level of democracy that Türkiye deserves.
The aim must be to bring our nation a constitution that embraces the whole of Türkiye, that everyone trusts and that will be the guide of justice. We, as the MÜSİAD Family, are ready to show every effort in the work on the new constitution and to make the contribution that is asked of us.
God willing, as we continue this important work with determination, may God not separate us from goodness and from justice.
Distinguished guests, esteemed MÜSİAD Family,
Together with our MÜSİAD EXPO Fair, we also aim to open new doors in order to transform the future. Of course, this door does not open only onto trade… At the same time it opens onto the law of brotherhood and onto peace.
Throughout our IBF meeting and our Fair opening, I have touched on this subject in almost every speech. With your permission, I will touch on it briefly in this speech as well. Because I believe it is necessary to make such meetings an occasion for drawing attention to the humanitarian problems experienced in different corners of the world.
As we all know, for more than a year the humanitarian crisis that has occurred in Gaza has been deeply wounding consciences. This tragic process, in which innocent civilians, women and children have lost their lives, has constituted a serious test in terms of the protection of international law and of human rights.
While the statements and calls made before the United Nations and other international organizations are important, we believe that more concrete and effective steps must be taken for the solution of this crisis.
The arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is an important development and reminds the international system of its responsibility in the face of human rights violations.
It is essential that the problems in the region be brought to a solution with a lasting peace within the framework of international law. The protection of the fundamental human rights of the Palestinian people is of vital importance for the establishment of regional and global peace.
From here we make a call to the international community, and especially to the influential global actors: more concrete steps must be taken to put an end to the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza, and justice must be established. In this process, the universal values of human rights must be taken as the basis and no one must be victimized.
As a country, we have throughout history been the voice and the conscience of oppressed geographies, and we will continue to be so. Standing by the Palestinian people is a humanitarian and moral responsibility. However, we are also aware that this can be possible only through the common effort not of Türkiye alone but of the entire international community.
Our common goal is for peace and justice to be achieved in Gaza as soon as possible.
Distinguished guests,
As I conclude my words, I thank everyone whose labour went into the realization of this great organization. I hope that MÜSİAD EXPO 2024 will bring success to our country, to our nation and to the entire business world, and I respectfully greet all our participants.
May God protect you.
Mahmut Asmalı
President of MÜSİAD