Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

The meeting discussed the real sector’s difficulties, primarily access to financing, and the expectations of the business world.

- Çorum Chamber of Commerce and Industry Culture and Conference Hall opened

TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu then inaugurated the Çorum Chamber of Commerce and Industry Culture and Conference Hall. In his speech at the opening ceremony, Hisarcıklıoğlu said that Çorum had become an industrial city thanks to the entrepreneurs’ own resources and dynamism.

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that exports from Çorum are made to more than 130 countries, adding, “Çorum’s exports have increased from $100 million to over $5 billion in just the last 10 years. Çorum is one of the three cities in Türkiye with the highest export growth in 2025. In the last year, we increased our exports by approximately $1.9 billion in Çorum. In terms of annual export growth, Çorum has surpassed cities such as Istanbul and Bursa.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that Türkiye’s exports originating from Çorum amounted to 5.5 billion dollars and added, “Çorum’s exports have surpassed those of Adana, Konya, and my hometown Kayseri, and today Çorum has become the 12^th largest exporting city. Please emphasize this frequently so that politicians, the ruling party, and the government recognize Çorum’s value. Çorum needs to connect to ports via rail as soon as possible. Of course, this also means we need high-speed trains. Eskişehir’s landscape changed with the high-speed train. People take day trips from Ankara. Women, in particular, visit Eskişehir instead of going on day trips, contributing to Eskişehir’s economy. Hopefully, Çorum will develop in the same way.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu advised businesspeople to approach each other without seeing each other as “the other,” saying, “Please don’t see each other as the other. Don’t see anyone as the other because of their ethnic origin, sect, or political views. The Creator made us all different. He made us different so that there would be richness here. Don’t marginalize your brother because of his language, religion, or ethnic origin. We live in a difficult geography. There is fire on all sides. We need each other. Hold on to each other tightly.”

Emphasizing that no one is perfect, Hisarcıklıoğlu continued: “First, we will look at ourselves. Our shortcomings are a result of the solidarity we need with each other. I need you, my brother. You need me to walk, to succeed. So let’s put aside my shortcomings, my flaws, my mistakes, and focus on our strengths. If we do that, we will all be the winners of this difficult era.”