The Independent Industrialists and Businessmen Association (MÜSİAD) held a Business Forum, panels, networking meetings and the Türkiye-USA Business Forum in three different regions of the United States of America between 18 May and 25 May. Leading figures of the bureaucracy and business people in the United States came together at the events held in New York, Philadelphia and Washington. MÜSİAD President Mahmut Asmalı, who held contacts in the United States together with more than 100 business people, said that they want to support the target of USD 100 billion in trade volume with the United States.

The target in trade volume is USD 100 billion

Following the panel and presentations held at Türkevi in New York, Türkiye's Consul General in New York Reyhan Özgür also attended the networking meeting. Speaking at the event, Özgür pointed out that, seen from the outside, the United States appears to be a distant market compared with other geographies. Saying that doing business in the United States is easier than in many other countries, Özgür assessed: "The opportunities the United States offers are greater, and it is a country that provides very significant added value particularly in terms of the growth of companies."

MÜSİAD President Mahmut Asmalı, for his part, pointed out that Türkiye, which he noted has made great strides over the last 20 years, has become one of the world's important countries with its flexible production capacity and logistics networks.

Asmalı stated that, according to official figures, more than 300,000 ethnic kin live in the United States, which has the world's largest economy, and that many business people hold important positions there.

Making a call to American business people, Asmalı said: "Turkish people are very capable, enterprising and quick-witted. So let us all mature this cooperation together and invest together in our country, here and in third countries. We have such potential, energy and desire."

Stating that within the scope of the forum they honoured, together with the Turkish American National Steering Committee (TASC), those who support Türkiye's exports and diaspora activities, Asmalı shared the information that they had signed a memorandum of understanding with TASC.

Within the scope of the visits in New York, a meeting was also held with Türkiye's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Ahmet Yıldız.

The USA New York Office was opened

MÜSİAD, which aims to increase its capacity for representation in the United States, opened an office in New York. Speaking at the opening ceremony, held with the participation of Türkiye's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ahmet Yıldız, the Consul General of the Republic of Türkiye in New York Reyhan Özgür, MÜSİAD members and representatives of the business world in the United States, President Asmalı said: “We hope that our MÜSİAD New York Office, which will contribute to our organization network in the United States and improve our communication within the region, will be auspicious, and we thank all those who contributed.”

B2B meetings were held in Washington

Within the scope of the Türkiye-USA Business Forum, which was also held in Washington, the final stop of the United States business trip, the MÜSİAD delegation met with the Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye to Washington Sedat Önal and the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to the United States Khazar İbrahim.

Within the scope of the forum held at the Diyanet Center of America (DCA), half an hour from Washington, the commercial counsellors in Washington gave presentations in the experience-sharing sessions.

Sessions were held on the legal legislation concerning doing business in Türkiye and the United States and on the construction sector and investment opportunities in the United States. Speaking at the event, which also featured a panel titled Türkiye-USA Trade Relations: Opportunities, Problems and Solutions, President Mahmut Asmalı said that MÜSİAD has been carrying out its activities at home and abroad for more than 34 years, increasing them with each passing day.

Pointing out that trade can be possible even though the political relations of the two countries are sometimes up and down, Asmalı noted the following:

"We all know that, given where we have arrived, we have some differing views with the United States on the political front. The greatest reason for this is our failure to explain our theses and our rightful cause to American politicians. The most important path to doing so runs through trade and economic relations. Therefore we will invest more and trade more here, and by growing much stronger economically we will find the opportunity to explain our theses to American politicians. I believe we can achieve this quite comfortably. If we raise our trade volume to USD 100 billion in the first stage, we will have passed the most important milestone. At present we are at one third of this target volume. We have a great deal of work to do and we must start on it as soon as possible."

Stating that with this visit they have opened a new page of beginnings in the United States, Asmalı conveyed that from now on they will come to the country again as soon as possible with much larger and more determined delegations of businessmen.

A great duty falls to Turkish business people

Assessing the business trip to America, President Mahmut Asmalı stated that a great duty falls to Turkish business people in the target of USD 100 billion in trade volume and that they can make very good use of the markets in the United States. Noting that they held a networking event in the US state of New Jersey with the participation of Türkiye's Ambassador to Washington Sedat Önal as well as business people and local politicians, Asmalı reported that on the same day they opened the office of the MÜSİAD New York Branch. Pointing to the briefing and experience-sharing events they held in New York, Asmalı said that investment opportunities specific to the states were assessed there with branch presidents who came from various states.

Recalling that MÜSİAD has 9 points of representation in the United States, Asmalı said: "By adding the states of Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Florida to these by the end of the year, we aim to raise the number of our representation points to 13."

Touching on the need to know the rules and laws here well in order to reach the trade target in the United States, Asmalı assessed: "We need to know the laws, standards and scales of this place well and to act in a planned and programmed manner."