Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

Hisarcıklıoğlu stressed that he is very pleased with the enactment of the Singapore Convention, which will ensure that mediation also applies abroad.

TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu attended the opening ceremony of the TOBBUYUM Mediation and Dispute Resolution Center, which was attended by Justice Minister Abdülhamit Gül. In his speech at the opening ceremony, Hisarcıklıoğlu noted the slow functioning of the judicial system with increased numbers of cases and the importance of the Mediation and Dispute Center.

- “We have brought together the legal world and the business world”

TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that as the business community, one of the issues which has been a point of complaint is the slow functioning of the judicial system due to the excessive number of cases. “Our Justice Minister Gül has undertaken important structural reforms here, enabling alternative solutions to come into play. Since 2013, the voluntary mediation system has become mandatory in business disputes. Later, mediation in commercial and consumer disputes became mandatory. In this process, together with our Minister, we organized many events in Ankara, İstanbul, Antalya and İzmir. We brought the legal world and the business world together and started to understand each other better.”

- “Mediation is a win-win method”

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that the use of the mediation system is increasing day by day thanks to this union. “The number of files coming here in seven years is about 1.6 million. The number of applications on working life issues, which are important for our business world, is close to 1 million. And 69% of them ended up with a deal. The trials, which used to last for years, ended in days and weeks. So access to justice has accelerated. As I have always said: 'Mediation is a win-win method, it also contributes to social peace' Because people have been spared the loss of time and the long process that has worn them out financially, and our judicial system has been spared an important workload. Thus, the grievances decreased and the sense of justice was strengthened. All these good results in practice show that the reform is a correct and appropriate step.”

- “When we forgot about it, Europe took it from us and developed it”

Underlining that the Turkish people are no strangers to mediation, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “Centuries ago, our ancestors started to implement this. Akhism, which formed the basis of our Chamber-Stock Exchange community, Akhis would solve trade disputes. Then we forgot about it, Europe took it from us and improved it. Thanks to our Minister of Justice, we have regained it. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our Minister of Justice Gül, our Deputy Ministers, our general managers and the head of the department. As TOBB and Chamber-Exchange community, we provide all kinds of support for the development of alternative dispute resolution methods in our country, especially mediation. We make great efforts to expand mediation in the business world. In this context, we established TOBBUYUM in order to provide services and trainings in the field of mediation to our members. Today, we are opening with your participation. At TOBBUYUM, we will benefit from the knowledge and experience of our Cemil Çiçek President there. I would like to thank him for believing and leading this work.”

- “The Med-Arb system has also been implemented”

Reminding that 29 chambers affiliated with TOBB through TOBBUYUM serve TOBB members via Mediation and Arbitration Centers, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “I believe that more and more of our Chambers will start to provide this service. In providing these services to our members, we will work with the valuable mediators of the legal community. From here, I would also like to say that both TOBBUYUM and the Mediation and Arbitration Centers in our Chambers are open to all mediators. We have also implemented the Med-Arb system to resolve the commercial dispute in 5 months at the latest by going to arbitration instead of the court. That way, our business world will be able to resolve their disputes faster and cheaper. Here, we have been serving our members with the TOBB Court of Arbitration since 1991. We also believe that the Istanbul Arbitration Center, which we established with the vision of İstanbul being the arbitration center of this whole region, will fulfill an important mission. In summary: TOBBUYUM, TOBB Arbitration, Istanbul Arbitration Center and Mediation and Arbitration Centers in our 29 Chambers and with the support of our mediators, we will always continue to be at the service of our members.”

Stating that law is the pillar not only of the state but also of the economy, TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “If the law is strong, people's trust in each other, institutions and the system increases. If a sense of justice and trust is strong in a country, the economy of that country is also strong. In fact, in our culture, in our faith, the place of law is already very, very important. We are a nation that believes that justice is at the heart of property. There's also a saying I like very much: 'Justice is like a polar star, it stays in place. Everything else revolves around it.' That is why we must maintain the balance of justice. We must take every step necessary to make it work effectively, quickly and healthily. The more successful we are in making our legal system healthier and better, the stronger our country and our economy will be. We consider the specialization trainings you have implemented important for existing mediators to specialize in certain subjects. Again, we expect the mediation bill, which is currently being prepared for the protection of the quality of the mediation establishment and the institutionalization of mediation centers, to become law. Mediation and arbitration opportunities for international investors are factors that will increase the investment appeal of our country.”

Several TOBB officials and Deputy Ministers of Justice attended the opening ceremony, as did Gürsel Baran, President of the Ankara Chamber of Commerce.