Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

In his speech, TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu said about the cities that contributed to the founding of the Republic, “On the path to the founding of our Republic, you embraced this epic struggle, which began in Samsun and gained the character of a national war of independence in Amasya, Erzurum, and Sivas. These four cities are a symbol of our determination on the path to independence.”

Following the event held at the Republic Museum, a gala dinner program for the Cities that Founded the Republic was organized at a hotel.

Speaking here, TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu emphasized the need to remember how the Republic of Turkey was founded and to pass this on to future generations, saying, “By acting with this vision, you have undertaken a very correct and valuable endeavor. On the path to the founding of our Republic, you embraced this epic struggle, which began in Samsun and gained the character of a national war of independence in Amasya, Erzurum, and Sivas. These four cities are symbols of our determination on the path to independence. The cities you live in are the symbolic cities that spread the idea of national unity and independence throughout Anatolia and raised our nation as one heart.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu noted that Atatürk launched an economic independence struggle immediately after the War of Independence, recalling that with the Republic, capitulations were abolished, national industry developed, the İzmir Economic Congress was convened, and a mixed economy model was adopted.

- “Atatürk aimed not only to liberate the country from occupation but also from poverty.”

Speaking at the event held at the Republic Museum, ASO President Seyit Ardıç emphasized that the War of Independence and the founding of the Republic were not only stories of military victories but also of willpower, intellect, solidarity, and the ideal of development.

Following Ardıç’s speech, Samsun Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Salih Zeki Murzioğlu, Amasya CCI President Murat Kırlangıç, Erzurum CCI President Saim Özakalın, and Sivas CCI President Zeki Özdemir delivered speeches conveying messages about strengthening cooperation between chambers.