FROM ACI CHAIRMAN SEYİT ARDIÇ TO EU AMBASSADORS:
“THE CUSTOMS UNION SHOULD BE UPDATED, THE VISA ISSUE SHOULD BE RESOLVED”
ACI HAS TAKEN ACTION TO ESTABLISH TÜRKİYE’S FIRST ZERO WASTE ORGANIZED INDUSTRIAL ZONE
The 15th Traditional Embassies Reception of the Ankara Chamber of Industry, which brings together foreign mission representatives and the business world, was held at the Ethnography Museum. Stating that they aim to carry Ankara’s production and technology accumulation further through international cooperation, ACI Chairman Seyit Ardıç called on European Union ambassadors to support the updating of the Customs Union and the resolution of the business world’s visa issue. Chairman Ardıç also announced for the first time that they have taken action to establish Türkiye’s first Zero Waste Organized Industrial Zone, planned to host 250 companies on an area of approximately 5 million square meters. Yapıştırılan markdown
The 15th Traditional Embassies Reception organized this year by the Ankara Chamber of Industry (ACI) was held in the historical atmosphere of the Ethnography Museum. The reception was attended by Hulusi Akar, Chairman of the Turkish Grand National Assembly National Defense Committee; Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün, President of the Presidency of Defense Industries; deputy ministers; members of parliament; Ankara Metropolitan Mayor Mansur Yavaş; Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, President of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye; rectors; representatives of political parties; nearly 200 ambassadors and diplomatic mission representatives from more than 100 countries; ACI Assembly and Committee Members; and leading figures from the public sector, international organizations, civil society and the business world.
Speaking at the opening of the program, ACI Chairman Seyit Ardıç said the Traditional Embassies Reception is an important international gathering that deepens dialogue between the business world and diplomatic missions, reinforces mutual trust and lays the groundwork for new collaborations.
“LASTING PARTNERSHIPS GROW THROUGH TRUST”
Stating that Ankara often brings politics, bureaucracy and diplomacy to mind, Chairman Ardıç emphasized that the Capital is a warm meeting point that nurtures friendships and said:
“We have seen that the receptions we have organized so far have opened the door to new friendships and valuable collaborations. During my term as Chairman, I have come together with the ambassadors of nearly 50 countries. Sometimes we knocked on the doors of our embassies, and sometimes we hosted ambassadors at our Chamber. We discussed trade, investment, joint projects and opportunities for our companies to access mutual markets.
Each time, we have seen that although economy and trade begin with figures, lasting partnerships grow through mutual trust and face-to-face relations. The meeting of the contributions of our embassies with the entrepreneurial power of our business world will further strengthen the economic ties between our countries and increase our shared prosperity.”
“TÜRKİYE IS ONE OF THE STRATEGIC PRODUCTION CENTERS OF THE GLOBAL ECONOMY”
Stating that the global economy is undergoing a deep and structural transformation beyond cyclical fluctuations, Chairman Ardıç said that in addition to cost and efficiency, geopolitical security, supply continuity, political predictability and reducing strategic dependencies have become decisive in economic decisions.
Chairman Ardıç made the following assessments regarding Türkiye’s potential in this transformation:
“Located at the intersection of Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, Türkiye holds a special position among different power centers in the new global order with its geographical location, economic capacity and political weight. Our long-standing integration with Europe’s production and trade system, our proximity to Central Asia’s energy and raw material resources, our deepening ties with the Turkic world, our access to Middle Eastern markets and our connections extending to South Asia provide our country with a broad economic sphere of action.
The intersection in Türkiye of the Middle Corridor connecting China and Central Asia to Europe and the Development Road extending from the Persian Gulf to Europe makes our country one of the natural centers of trade and logistics networks. However, Türkiye’s potential is not limited to its transit advantage. With our advanced industrial infrastructure, broad production capacity, proximity to the European market, strong logistics network, level of technology achieved in the defense industry and qualified human resources, Türkiye is an important center of production, investment and innovation.”
“THE CUSTOMS UNION SHOULD BE UPDATED, THE VISA ISSUE SHOULD BE RESOLVED”
Stating that Türkiye is a strategic production partner for Europe with its strong industrial infrastructure, Chairman Ardıç said, “Our country is the European Union’s fifth-largest trade partner. The fact that our mutual trade in goods has reached 250 billion dollars demonstrates the strong ties between our production and supply chains.” Chairman Ardıç continued:
“I would like to once again emphasize two issues that we raise on every platform but unfortunately have not been able to achieve concrete progress on: updating the Customs Union and resolving the visa issue faced by our business world.
Updating the Customs Union, which has left 30 years behind, in line with the needs of today’s trade is in the interest of the European Union as much as it is in Türkiye’s interest. Visa processes, meanwhile, have become one of the biggest obstacles facing our business world. The schedules of fairs, investment meetings and commercial agreements do not wait for long visa appointment periods. Even when an appointment is obtained, it is still uncertain whether the visa will be issued. The inability of our industrialists, who have such strong economic ties with Europe, to plan their business trips is incompatible with the level our mutual trade has reached.
Dear Ambassadors of the European Union, we now expect your strong support for concrete steps to be taken on these two issues.”
Emphasizing that ACI has taken responsibility for overcoming the visa issue, Chairman Ardıç cited the visa protocol signed with the Embassy of France in Ankara as an example:
“I would like to thank Her Excellency Isabelle Dumont, Ambassador of France to Ankara, for her contribution to the implementation of the protocol that accelerates and facilitates commercial visa processes. We are ready to implement similar protocols with other embassies in order to strengthen economic and commercial relations between our countries.”
“THE NATO LEADERS SUMMIT BEING HELD IN ANKARA WAS A STRONG INDICATOR OF OUR COUNTRY’S STRATEGIC WEIGHT”
Referring to Türkiye’s multidimensional foreign policy approach and Ankara’s increasing strategic importance, Chairman Ardıç said:
“While we aim to carry our economic relations with Europe to a more advanced level, our country is also strengthening its economic ties with different regions of the world. With the strong will set forth under the leadership of our President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and the multidimensional foreign policy approach, as well as the determined stance and intensive efforts of our Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hakan Fidan, our country has become an important actor that takes greater initiative in international affairs, assumes mediation roles when necessary and firmly defends its strategic priorities. The NATO Leaders Summit held in Ankara last July was a strong indicator of our country’s deep-rooted position and strategic weight within the Euro-Atlantic security architecture.”
“ANKARA IS A PIONEER OF HIGH VALUE-ADDED PRODUCTION”
Stating that the NATO Summit also had a special meaning for Ankara, and emphasizing that Ankara is not only the political and diplomatic decision-making center but also one of Türkiye’s leading production and technology centers with its accumulation in defense industry, aviation, advanced engineering and qualified human resources, Ardıç continued:
“With 15 organized industrial zones, 168 R&D centers, 39 design centers, 14 technoparks, 11 technology development centers and 22 universities, Ankara is one of our leading cities that strongly integrates industrial production with university, research and technology infrastructure.
This strong ecosystem is also reflected in our exports. Ankara’s annual exports have reached approximately 20 billion dollars. The share of high-technology products in Ankara’s exports has risen to 13 percent. This rate is more than three times the national average.
The main factor that differentiates Ankara from other industrial centers is not only the volume of its exports, but also the technological level of the products it produces. From defense and aviation to software, from health technologies to advanced materials, from electronic systems to machinery and production technologies, our Capital is a pioneer of high value-added production across a wide range of fields.”
“ALL FIVE OF OUR COMPANIES INCLUDED IN THE TOP 100 ARE HEADQUARTERED IN ANKARA”
Referring to Ankara’s success in the defense industry, Chairman Ardıç drew attention to the fact that all five Turkish companies included in the Defense News “Top 100” list of the world’s largest defense companies are headquartered in Ankara and are ACI members.
Chairman Ardıç said, “All five of our companies included in the ‘Top 100’ list from our defense industry, which is growing stronger day by day under the leadership of our Presidency of Defense Industries, are headquartered in Ankara and are members of our Chamber. Behind these companies stands a very strong ecosystem that also includes 2,500 industrialists who are members of our Chamber and supply our defense industry.”
Stating that Ankara also plays a pioneering role in the overseas contracting sector, Chairman Ardıç emphasized that 22 of the 48 Turkish companies included among the world’s top 250 international contracting firms are headquartered in Ankara. Chairman Ardıç said Ankara plays a leading role in the global success of the Turkish business world with its deep-rooted contracting experience, engineering capability and qualified human resources.
ACI’S VISION PROJECTS
Stating that ACI is working on projects that will transform Ankara’s production and innovation accumulation into higher added value, employment and exports, Chairman Ardıç also provided information on the ACI Technology Base and the ACI Free Zone:
“The ACI Technology Base, which we plan to establish in the Temelli Industrial Basin, will be located on an area of 1 million square meters, including 440,000 square meters of indoor space. We expect the Technology Base, which will host more than 800 companies, to create 18,000 qualified jobs and contribute 1.5 billion dollars to Ankara’s annual exports.
The ACI Free Zone, which we plan to establish on a 4.2 million-square-meter area belonging to our Chamber in the same region, will provide employment for 40,000 people with more than 200 domestic and foreign companies and contribute approximately 4 billion dollars to our exports. We see these projects as new partnership centers that will bring together international investors and the industry of our Capital.”
ACI WILL ESTABLISH TÜRKİYE’S FIRST ZERO WASTE ORGANIZED INDUSTRIAL ZONE
In his speech, ACI Chairman Ardıç also announced a new project for the first time, stating that they had begun work to establish Türkiye’s first Zero Waste Organized Industrial Zone.
Ardıç provided the following information about the project:
“This evening, I would like to share for the first time a new project that excites us greatly. By bringing the Zero Waste movement, launched under the leadership of First Lady Emine Erdoğan, to the center of our industry, we are taking action to establish Türkiye’s first Zero Waste Organized Industrial Zone.
In the ACI Circular Industry and Zero Waste OIZ, which will be established on an area of approximately 5 million square meters and host around 250 companies, one enterprise’s scrap, waste heat and water will become another enterprise’s input; resources will be managed efficiently at the regional scale.
We see this model, which will be based on the principles of industrial symbiosis, resource efficiency, Zero Waste and Green OIZ, not only as an environmental project, but as an industrial competitiveness infrastructure that will protect our export markets, strengthen our resource security and support access to green finance. We see these projects as new partnership centers that will bring together domestic and foreign investors and the industry of our Capital,” he said.
A MESSAGE OF PEACE FROM CHAIRMAN ARDIÇ
At the end of his speech, Ardıç referred to the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza and the wars surrounding Türkiye, calling on the international community to take responsibility:
“Gaza today is where international law, human rights and the conscience of the world are being tested. The international community must assume responsibility for the protection of civilians, the uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid and the establishment of a just and lasting peace. Because true peace is the day when children in Gaza look at the sky not with fear, but with hope, and can freely fly their kites.
We are experiencing the pain of wars that have been going on for years to the north and south of our country and across our nearby geography. Cities are being destroyed, people are being uprooted from their homes, children are being deprived of life and their futures. We do not want war. We want a geography where weapons fall silent, children grow up with hope rather than fear, and everyone lives in security, peace and prosperity. The principle of our Great Leader Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, ‘Peace at Home, Peace in the World,’ is a universal call that humanity needs more than ever today. The responsibility of diplomacy is to ensure dialogue before conflicts deepen, reconciliation before destruction grows, and the rule of law in the face of the law of the powerful. I wish for a future in which wars come to an end, and pain and tears are replaced by peace, hope and shared prosperity.”
“DIPLOMACY AND THE BUSINESS WORLD COME TOGETHER AT THE SAME TABLE”
TOBB President Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that ACI is among the pioneering institutions carrying Turkish industry toward high technology and green transformation, and said that the Traditional Embassies Reception brings diplomacy and the business world together at the same table.
Pointing out that geopolitical conflicts, protectionism and vulnerabilities in supply chains threaten global growth, Hisarcıklıoğlu referred to global economic developments and said:
“The transformation in energy, food, climate and technologies is establishing a new order. In such a period, the expectation of our business world is clear: we want peace, stability and predictability. We need bridges, not walls. Türkiye is one of these bridges. With its strategic location, strong industry and entrepreneurial human resources, Türkiye deserves this role.”
Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that Turkish companies conduct trade and investment all around the world, and that contractors also undertake major projects.
Emphasizing that industrialists work as a reliable part of value chains, especially in Europe, Hisarcıklıoğlu said that TOBB also builds bridges between business communities in different geographies.
Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that they have assumed the role of private sector representative for COP31, which Türkiye will host this year, and emphasized that they aim to make the business world an active part of this process.
Expressing that they value the support of ambassadors at this point, Hisarcıklıoğlu said:
“We invite countries, business organizations and companies to participate in COP31 activities. This joint work is the most concrete way to increase mutual trade and investment. States should also work together with diplomacy and the business world. As the Turkish business world, we will continue to produce and invest.”
“COOPERATION BETWEEN DIPLOMATIC AND ECONOMIC ACTORS IS IMPORTANT”
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Hacı Ali Özel also expressed his pleasure at attending this gathering, which brings together foreign ambassadors in Türkiye with Ankara’s business world, and thanked ACI for organizing the event.
Emphasizing that cooperation between diplomatic and economic actors is of great importance in carrying Türkiye’s strong production capacity, entrepreneurial spirit and economic ties extending across wide geographies further, Özel said, “This event has once again shown that diplomacy is not limited only to relations between states, but that our economic relations, trade, investments and entrepreneurs are also important elements of our foreign policy.”
Drawing attention to the fact that ambassadors are important actors in introducing countries’ economic and commercial potential to the world, Özel said, “As the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we are determined to maintain an understanding of diplomacy that paves the way for our business world, strengthens our trade and investment relations, and contributes to the activities of Turkish entrepreneurs abroad.”
