MÜSİAD President Mahmut Asmalı said: "We aim to present comprehensively, to those who wish to invest in our country, reliable fields through commercial research, as well as the behind-the-scenes contacts and work in the field through the private sector channel."

Independent Industrialists and Businessmen Association (MÜSİAD) President Mahmut Asmalı said that they will bring the International Investment Support Office to life on a principle that aims to present the most accurate investment fields in the healthiest way, through commercial research, to those who wish to invest in the country.

MÜSİAD President Asmalı, who took office on 11 September 2021, assessed the one-year period that has elapsed since then.

Stating that they have realized the great majority of the targets they announced when they took office, Asmalı noted that the Young MÜSİAD and MÜSİAD Women formations in particular have carried out successful work.

Recalling that immediately after taking office they delivered two important programmes such as IBF Baku and Visionary 21, Asmalı explained that they subsequently conducted the economic assessment survey as of the end of the year and announced it on 5 January with the participation of Minister of Treasury and Finance Nureddin Nebati.

Stating that they held their meetings, at which the problems facing trade were put on the table, with the participation of Minister of Trade Mehmet Muş, Asmalı expressed that, through the general administrative board meetings and the meetings they held in different provinces of Türkiye with the sector boards, they also found the opportunity to consult with members and with business people in Anatolia.

The structuring in the G20 countries will be completed with Argentina

Recalling that they set 7 strategic targets when they took office, Asmalı said that they have realized 6 of these targets. Asmalı said: “We wanted to complete MÜSİAD's structuring in the G20 countries. We were not present in Mexico and Argentina. We established Mexico; only Argentina remains. God willing, we will complete that as well.”

Touching upon the fact that they have brought together the ambassadors of foreign countries with industrialists in Anatolia through the Anatolian Economic Diplomacy programmes, Asmalı commented: “We took the Ambassador of the UAE to Kayseri, the Ambassador of Niger to Çorum and the Ambassador of Hungary to Samsun. We take the guest ambassadors in our country to Anatolia at certain intervals. We will also take the ambassadors of Japan, Greece and Switzerland to our industrialists.”

The International Investment Support Office is being established

Noting that one of their targets was to establish the MÜSİAD Arab Businessmen Liaison Office, Asmalı said: “By broadening this even further, we are bringing it to life within MÜSİAD as the International Investment Support Office.”

Asmalı stated: “There are state institutions for those who wish to invest in our country, but through the private sector channel we aim to offer, in a manner befitting MÜSİAD's reliable brand image, a service that covers the behind-the-scenes contacts and work in the field, along with commercial research on what may be called the most accurate investment field, on who does which business and on which sector is better to invest in.”

Recalling that work on the establishment of International Arbitration is continuing, Asmalı noted that they have accelerated e-commerce work aimed at their members.

Asmalı reported that in the near future they will share two separate research reports on education and the economy with the public.

MÜSİAD member enterprises provide employment for approximately 2 million people

Explaining MÜSİAD's position in the economy and the business world with figures, Asmalı stated that they continue their activities at 165 contact points, 84 of them domestic and 81 international. Reporting that as MÜSİAD they have reached 71 countries and that they have more than 10 branches in Germany, Asmalı said: “At the end of October we are going to the USA. We have a target such as organizing in the 50 states of the USA.”

Sharing the information that the number of their members has risen to 12,925, Asmalı assessed: " I say it with pride: 35 percent of this figure, that is 4,558, are our Young MÜSİAD brothers and sisters. Therefore our future is secure. Our young people and our women's working group are carrying out very fine activities. We have 60,000 enterprises. We provide employment for approximately 2 million of our people. Our members also account for 20 percent of Türkiye's exports.”

MÜSİAD President Asmalı also emphasized that they dwell on the importance of bringing capital together in order to increase the number of exporting members.

Explaining that he went to the opening of Türkiye's first industrial cağ kebab production facility in Oltu, Erzurum, Asmalı said: “20 of our members brought their capital together and established a very important facility. Many of our branches and many of our members are carrying out activities like this. God willing, in the coming period we want to increase the number and the scale of such fine examples.”

"We expect more than 100,000 visitors from 124 countries at MÜSİAD EXPO 2022"

Touching upon the MÜSİAD EXPO 2022 Trade Fair, which will be held on 2-5 November in cooperation between MÜSİAD and the Tüyap Fair Group, Asmalı explained that MÜSİAD EXPO, which has been held every two years without interruption since 1993, is a mixed organization at which members from every sector can exhibit their products and services.

Drawing attention to the fact that the satisfaction rate of the participating members at the fair held two years ago under the impact of the pandemic, with masks, turned out to be as high as 97 percent, Asmalı said: “At that time we had a stand area of 14,000 square metres; this year we have increased it to 25,000. We are preparing far more seriously, both thanks to our escape from the pandemic and with new dynamics. This year we expect more than 100,000 visitors from 124 countries.

Purchasing delegations from 24 different sectors will come to the fair. These are delegations from different countries of the world such as Azerbaijan, Russia, China, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Nigeria. The companies represented by these delegations carry out billions of dollars' worth of foreign purchases. From Saudi Arabia alone a delegation of 300 people will come. The owner of Saudi Arabia's largest retail chain will come,” he said.

Explaining that, depending on the conjuncture, some sectors will come more to the fore at the fair, Asmalı noted that agricultural products in particular have reached a very strategic point together with the food crisis. Saying that they have members who carry out production and exports on a serious scale in agriculture and food, Asmalı continued his words as follows:

“At this fair there will be very serious potential related to agriculture, investment opportunities will be discussed, there is the idea of establishing a greenhouse organized industrial zone, and perhaps there will be talks on this. There will also be an opportunity for our defence industry companies and their products to be introduced and for new partnerships to be established at this point. In addition, free stand areas will be provided where our innovative technology companies with high added value in software technology, which are increasing in number, and the new ideas of start-ups and of our young people will be exhibited.

We will host very important gatherings where both entrepreneurs and investors can come together. As you know, IBF meetings used to be held at MÜSİAD fairs; this year we will add to these the meetings to be held with the participation of the D-8 ambassadors.“