Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

At the General Assembly, presided over by TOBB Vice President Ali Kopuz, speaking on behalf of TOBB, TOBB Vice President Tamer Kıran, stated that Turkey-EU relations not at the desired point and that they are faced with a fractured union, unable to put forth unilateral decisions.

Tamer Kiran stated that Economic Development Foundation, witness to 53 years of Turkey-EU relations, “In this time, the İKV, has become a think tank of experts on EU issues in Turkey. It has contributed significantly to the development of Turkey-EU relations. At the same time, it has always played a pioneering role in informing the business world about EU issues.

Kıran reported that Turkey is Europe's 6^th largest economy, the 4^th largest importer of EU goods and the 5^th largest market the EU exports to.

Tamer Kıran also explained that EU is Turkey's largest export market, “European Union countries, rank first in terms of foreign investment in Turkey. Our economic relations have deepened. Turkey and the EU are linked by many strong economic bonds. EU relations have always been a guide for Turkey's economic and political transformation efforts. They have provided significant contribution to Turkey’s transformation process. The business community has always supported these transformation efforts. We view Turkey's relations with the EU as a strategic priority. IKV is the symbol of the support of the business world for EU integration efforts.”

- Ayhan Zeytinoğlu re-elected to IKV Presidency

At the General Assembly, Ayhan Zeytinoğlu was re-elected as the Chairman of the IKV. The new Board of Directors consists of Dr. Haluk Kabaalioğlu, Zeynep Bodur Okyay, Atilla Menevşe, Yavuz Canevi, Zeynel Abidin Erdem, Sedat Zincirkıran, Ali Sami Aydin, Nevzat Seyok, Levent Taş, Mehmet Kaya, Ömer Gülsoy, Suleyman Uyar, Yavuz Altun, Işınsu Kestelli, Simone Kaslowski and Ismail Gülle, while the Supervisory Board Members are Hasan Hüseyin Coşkun and Musfata İçöz.