Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

Attending ATO’s monthly council meeting were TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu, Customs and Commerce Minister Hayati Yazıcı, ATO President Salih Bezci and ATO council members.

In his speech, Hisarcıkloğlu stated that thanks to the modernization project undertaken by TOBB, as per the agreement with the Customs and Commerce Ministry, the wait time at customs gates has been halved.

Stating that the yearly returns from this project to the Turkish private sector is 410 million Dollars, Hisarcıklıoğlu said:

“Sometimes they ask TOBB is good for. It put 410 million Dollars into its members’ pockets. In return for what? The modernization of these gates is 220 million Dollars. The investment is 220 million Dollars, the returns for the private sector is 410 million Dollars. And what did the government gain? First of all, the government did not spend 220 million Dollars and the private sector got 410 million Dollars. Additionally the government received 90 million Dollars in taxes. Our Minister may be from Rize but he thinks like someone from Kayseri when it comes to money. Talks are underway with the Customs and Commerce Ministry regarding the modernization of 10 customs gates which are underused today but have potential. We will perform modernization on 10 customs gates as per the decision of the minister.”

- ATO’s accreditation certificate

Stating that the accreditation certificate given to ATO has 5 stars on it, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “The Ankara Chamber of Commerce has the force of a 5 star chamber. For whom? In terms of the service it provides its members.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that they had paired up with the British Union of Chambers in 2001 and exchanged know how on accredited service providing, he said, “We have come so far as TOBB that today, we not only serve the chambers in Turkey but also export services to those in the Balkans, the Middle East, Central Asia and our neighboring countries.”

- Customs and Commerce Minister Hayati Yazıcı

Customs and Commerce Minister Hayati Yazıcı statedthat “Laws are not holy writ and can be changed as needed,” saying, “the parts of the new Turkish Trade Law which may cause hindrance would be resolved.”

Yazıcı said, “If there are instances which would cause you to fight each other, break your spirit or lower your competitive power, we will resolve these. But know this: This law will go into effect on July 1st, 2012.” Minister Yazıcı stated that the most important legislation being monitored by the Customs and Commerce Ministry is the Turkish Trade Law.”

- ATO President Salih Bezci

Speaking at the meeting, ATO President Salih Bezci stated that he’d first like to thank the government for the new Turkish Trade Law and said, “Our country has finally gained a modern trade law.” Stating that as a law this comprehensive nears its date of taking effect, there have been concerns raised from the members, Bezci said that “financial punishment for financial crime” principle should not e ignored and went on to state some of the more prevalent concerns.
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