MÜSİAD Indonesia Branch Opening

19 October 2023

Dear friends, esteemed MÜSİAD Family,

Esteemed representatives of our business world,

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen,

I respectfully greet you all.

Welcome, you have graced us with your presence…

Dear members of MÜSİAD,

As you know, MÜSİAD has always taken pioneering and guiding steps in the field of organization. Since its establishment in 1990, it has built a very strong and effective organizational structure through the branches and representative offices it has opened both in our country and abroad.

One of the most important reasons for MÜSİAD's existence is to build a strong and lasting organizational structure. Whether at home or abroad, MÜSİAD has always believed in the power of organization in order to raise its contact with its members to the highest level.

Today, too, we are taking another very fine step in Indonesia for the sake of our organization. Thanks be to God, we are experiencing the happiness, and the bittersweet joy, of being together with our brothers and sisters in Indonesia, thousands of kilometres away from our country.

I say “bittersweet” because, as you know, Israeli oppression has been continuing in Palestine for more than ten days. The massacres taking place before the eyes of the whole world reached their peak with the bombing of a hospital the day before yesterday.

Israel, which commits yet another crime against humanity with every act it carries out, must be stopped at once. The words to be said against this oppression have now been exhausted. The Israeli massacre must be stopped right now. The international community must act urgently and take the necessary measures against every kind of war crime.

The State of Israel is committing genocide before the eyes of the whole world. The infrastructure system has been destroyed… People's electricity and water have been cut off… People have been left without food and without water… Civilian settlements, hospitals, places of worship and educational institutions in Gaza have been razed to the ground.

In short, Israel is carrying out what is almost a planned genocide in Gaza. We as MÜSİAD condemn the war in Gaza and this massacre committed against humanity. We call on all actors in the region for justice, so that the war may be ended, peace may be established in the region and the crimes against humanity being committed may be prevented at once. We say that the war in Gaza must end as soon as possible…

Dear MÜSİAD Family,

We as MÜSİAD have always stood by the oppressed, whatever their nation, religion or race. And we will continue to do so. No matter from whom the oppression comes, we must stand united and together beside the oppressed.

Our Almighty Lord says in verse 135 of Surah al-An'am: “You will surely come to know who will be left with this worldly abode and who will rejoice and be happy when this life comes to an end. The truth is that the wrongdoers will not attain salvation.”

And we, too, can stand upright against injustice beside the oppressed only as long as we are one and together, only as long as we are strong… Only in this way can we make our struggle stronger.

What will make us strong is our being one and together. Not you, me, him; if we become “We”, we can bring out our own strength. Only if we become “we” can no power stand before us, and we become the true decision-makers.

If we are together and strong, we can intervene in the wars and human tragedies that are taking place. If we want to support our brothers and sisters in Palestine, we must be strong. In short, we must believe in “the power of We” and in its might…

Esteemed MÜSİAD Family,

In 2023, together with the 100th anniversary of our Republic, a new road map was adopted under the leadership of our esteemed President. This road map of ours, named the “Century of Türkiye”, is in fact the culmination of the efforts made over the past twenty years.

Especially in recent years, a perspective has been adopted that brings to the fore economic, commercial and diplomatic relations as much as cultural ones with the entire Muslim world, from Africa to Malaysia, from Azerbaijan to Indonesia, from China to the Middle East.

This diplomatic effort and labour spread over the years is very important for us. As the MÜSİAD Family, we too have always aligned ourselves with our country's vision and perspective, whether through the business trips we have made or through our diplomatic and commercial contacts, and we have striven to build new commercial relations. And we continue to do so. May God be pleased with every one of our members.

With the branch we have opened in Indonesia, we are taking a very important step with the aim of contributing both to our members here and to the economies of our country and of Indonesia. May God be pleased with everyone who contributed to our branch opening. May God not let our efforts go to waste.

Dear members of MÜSİAD,

Indonesia, where we are holding our branch opening today, is among the foremost countries with which we wish to have strong ties in the Southeast Asia region. Indonesia's economy is the largest in Southeast Asia. Its manufacturing sector is largely based on the production and processing of domestically sourced products that dominate the country's export potential. At current prices, as of 2023 it ranks as the world's 16th largest economy among 196 countries…

In trade between Türkiye and Indonesia, it is seen that our country is a net importer and runs a foreign trade deficit. In 2022, our country's exports to Indonesia rose by %17.3 compared with the previous year to reach USD 367.3 million, while its imports from Indonesia increased by %50.5 to USD 2.8 billion.

In the January-August period of 2023, Türkiye's exports to Indonesia rose by %26.9 compared with the previous year to reach USD 271.7 million, while its imports from Indonesia fell by %31.4 to USD 1.3 billion.

The sector in which our exports are highest has been ores, which recorded average annual growth of %30 over the last 5 years and reached an export volume of USD 22.8 million. The second sector with the highest export volume has been tobacco products, which recorded average annual growth of %14 over the last 5 years and whose export volume reached USD 36.1 million. The other sectors we have exported the most over the last 5 years are machinery and mechanical parts, inorganic chemicals, and iron and steel.

When we look at the sectors that recorded average annual growth of more than %100 over the last 5 years, sugar, pharmacological products, the printing industry, manuscripts and pictures, cereals, wall clocks and wristwatches, ceramic products and live animals stand out as sectors with great potential in our trade with Indonesia.

We as MÜSİAD, together with our Indonesia Branch, are engaged in an effort that accelerates commercial relations and seeks to establish new forms of cooperation both for our members and for the citizens of the two countries. In this way, alongside our commercial relations, our cultural relations will also grow stronger.

Dear friends,

As I conclude my remarks here, I thank all those devoted to MÜSİAD, from our founding cadre to the newest member to join our family, who have laboured to bring our MÜSİAD to these days. I pray for God's mercy upon those who have passed away from among us.

MÜSİAD has come to these days with faith, with love of the cause and with patience. God willing, by working with determination night and day, with God's permission we will shape the future as well, “one and together”.

I wish that the opening of our Indonesia Branch may bring goodness, first and foremost to the MÜSİAD community and to our country and our nation. I greet you all with my most sincere feelings…

May God protect you.

Mahmut Asmalı

President of MÜSİAD