Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

The opening speeches were delivered by David Antunes, Chairman of the Board of Metro Türkiye; Prof. Dr. Muhammed Zeki Durak, President of the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office; Ali Kopuz, Vice Chairman of the TOBB Board of Directors; Joao Onofre, Head of the Geographical Indications Section at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development; Fatma Şahin, Mayor of Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality; and M. Kasım Gönüllü, Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology of Türkiye.

TOBB Vice Chairman Ali Kopuz highlighted the strategic importance of geographical indications in local development, the pioneering role of chambers and stock exchanges in this field, and the progress made in Türkiye’s journey towards international registration in his opening speech.

Representing TOBB at the summit panel, Expert/Lawyer Aslı Parmak gave a comprehensive presentation on the geographical indication work carried out by chambers and exchanges, Türkiye’s EU registration process, the successes achieved, and examples of best practices. 

This year’s theme, “Product, Region, People – The Cycle of Value,” highlights the journey of geographically indicated products from field to table, the labor of producers, and the sustainable transfer of local heritage to the future.