MÜSİAD General Administrative Board

13 September 2024

Most esteemed members of our MÜSİAD,

Representatives of our business world,

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen,

I greet you all with respect, reverence and affection.

At our General Administrative Board meeting, where we have come together, I pray to Almighty God that we may obtain productive results that will be a means to goodness for our country and our nation, God willing…

MÜSİAD, which has been working and producing without pause for more than 34 years, is an important civil society organization not only for our country but at the same time for the whole world. From the day it was founded to this day, MÜSİAD has worked and striven with all its might for the economic prosperity and peace of people.

Beyond the branches and representative offices it has opened in every province of our land, it has taken up the banner of lawful earnings and economic independence in every corner of the world. In this way it has laboured devotedly so that both our country and the cause of MÜSİAD may be enthroned in people’s hearts.

And we too have left behind the third year of our service to our MÜSİAD as President. Throughout these three years, the work we have carried out in line with the goal of increasing the economic strength of our members and of our country has been directed at ensuring that Türkiye is represented more strongly in the national and international arena.

By contributing to the growth of trust and cooperation in the business world, we have covered serious ground in expanding the influence of MÜSİAD both at home and abroad.

On our nation’s day of sorrow and on its day of joy alike we have been present as MÜSİAD, and we will continue to be present, God willing.

Thanks to the efforts of the colleagues with whom we serve together, our MÜSİAD, whose points of representation we have raised to 84 at home and more than 100 abroad, will continue at all times to have a say for the sake of a strong Türkiye. God willing, in our 35th year too we will fulfil the duty that falls to us with the same love of the cause, with the same devotion.

As we leave our third year behind, I once again thank all those devoted to MÜSİAD and all our colleagues for the effort we have put forward and for your determination to work day and night without pause. May my Lord make our unity and our well-being everlasting.

Dear MÜSİAD Family,

As we all know, MÜSİAD has always undertaken productive and pioneering work. The MÜSİAD Family has a perspective that works more each day than the day before, that produces more value and that provides added value for our country. That is precisely why MÜSİAD is the most productive and most hard-working business world organization in our country.

MÜSİAD has always been, as it were, the fortress of unity and togetherness. Being one and together is the most important key to being strong. And we, as the MÜSİAD Family, will continue to strengthen the sense of unity and togetherness that we emphasize at every opportunity. We are one and together.

At this point we are bound to one another by our faith. Thanks to this brotherhood in religion that binds us to one another, we possess the strength to overcome many an issue.

Almighty God commands us thus in verse 46 of Surah al-Anfal:

“Obey God and His Messenger. Do not dispute with one another, lest you lose heart and your strength depart. Therefore be patient in the face of hardship; for God is with those who are patient.”

Despite all our differences, our greatest strength that holds us together is our exalted religion, Islam. We must stand together in our brotherhood of faith and must keep our brotherhood of faith in mind at all times. This must be our greatest motivation for keeping us one and together.

Dear members of MÜSİAD,

Together with our General Administrative Board, on the one hand we will discuss the distance MÜSİAD has covered and our vision, and on the other hand we will put forward our ideas and hold consultations on what more we can do for the future of our country. These two days will be very productive for us, God willing.

The members of MÜSİAD, who possess a domestic and national vision, will be in an effort to contribute to our government’s “Century of Türkiye” vision, with a passion for producing added value for our country and our nation. At this point, we believe that our Medium-Term Program announced in recent days will also contribute in economic terms to our “Century of Türkiye” vision.

While I am on the subject, I would like to emphasize once again: we must be aware of the great potential of Türkiye. We must be aware of the potential of our MÜSİAD… As we advance towards our 35th year, we must be aware of ourselves and of our strength.

We must produce rational strategies in the many fields in which we conduct commercial activity, and we must put the decisions we take into practice under the guidance of technology. We must continuously develop our value-added product and production policies with a perspective that is sensitive to the environment, that uses resources efficiently, that produces added value, that is sustainable and that attaches importance to the participation of young people and women in production.

At this point I think it is necessary to touch in particular on “value-added production”.

The matter of added value is one of the key expressions we use in economic growth. As the added value of our products increases, both the gains throughout the process will increase and an immense contribution will be made to the national economy. Therefore, value-added production occupies an important place in almost all the fields in which we are active.

In many fields where technology, digitalization and innovation are combined with experience, value-added production, by increasing economic growth and employment, encourages technology and innovations, provides a competitive advantage, raises export potential, supports sustainability, increases consumer satisfaction and contributes to the strengthening of local economies.

On the eve of its 35th year, as a large and strong international civil society organization, we must always be aware of our strength and our potential and must take our steps within this awareness.

Because what will keep us together and strong is, first and foremost, being aware of our own strength.

Dear MÜSİAD Family,

As I conclude my remarks, I wish that our General Administrative Board may be a means to goodness. I thank you very much for your participation and greet you all with respect and reverence.

May God protect you.

Mahmut Asmalı

President of MÜSİAD