Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

GTO President Tuncay Yıldırım stated that they are proud of the investments of German companies in Türkiye and Turkish companies in Germany, but that they have a visa problem, and that the inability of Gaziantep business people to go to Germany for a fair or business meeting is the problem of both countries.

Gaziantep Governor Kemal Çeber said at the conference held at GTO that the earthquakes on February 6, 2023 were one of the biggest disasters in the history of the world.

Emphasizing that such extraordinary events are a test not only for the country but also for the humanity of the world, Çeber said: “In Türkiye, we believe that we have passed this test together with our friends. If we are right to be proud as a state and a nation that has delivered the 130,000^th disaster housing, that is, as a state and a nation that keeps our promises, our friends who have always been with us in this endeavor can also be proud of this.”

German Ambassador to Ankara Sibylle Katharina Sorg, who has been in Ankara for 13 weeks, noted that Germany's close relations with Türkiye go back many years and said, “Immediately after the earthquake, German search and rescue groups came to help. The German army sent several thousand tons of relief supplies and provided 250 million euros in aid. German companies and institutions mobilized all resources and tried to help the victims.”

The program continued with an exchange of ideas on “Relevant Actors in Post-Earthquake Management and Crisis Prevention” moderated by Gülbin Şahinbeyoğlu, Executive Director of the Executive Board of the Economic Policy Research Foundation of Türkiye, who made a presentation titled “Türkiye's Economic Outlook: Post-Earthquake Recovery Prospects”.