Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

The 14th Board Meeting of the ICCI was held with the attendances of the ICCI President Sheikh Saleh Kamel, ICCI Vice President and TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu and Members of the Board of Directors at Çırağan Palace in İstanbul.

Speaking at the meeting ICCI Vice President and TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that a saying of the Revered Prophet Muhammed states, “The mercy, respect and solidarity among Muslims is akin to a body. When a limb is sick, the other limbs hurt and are uncomfortable,” pointing out the importance of unity and solidarity.

As leaders of the Islamic business world, Hisarcıklıoğlu said that it was their duty to strengthen this unity and solidarity through profitable partnerships, “We will build the future of the Islamic geography and our people. We don’t have the luxury of procrastinating. We must make our choices and set our courses. We want to compete with developed countries. For this, we either progress and prosper together and lose together. Our future is too important to leave to the discretion of others. We can’t deem this anguish proper for ourselves. Strengthening our unity and solidarity through the material and spiritual should be all of our priority.”

- Do not miss the global transformation

Emphasizing that it was vital not to miss the global transformation, ICCI Vice President and TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that during the last two years Turkey been subject to rapid economic and political changes. M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “News from all over the world are affecting global politics and economy. In this process it is vital to be prepared for change in order to succeed. As parts of the Islamic world we must be aware of our surroundings. We must notice the transformation. We must see the change. We must notice rapidly rising economic powers.

As of 2011, the population of the Islamic geography makes up 23% of the world. However, the share of 57 Islamic countries of the world’s prosperity is only 11%.

The World Bank counts only 7 of the 57 Islamic countries among countries with high income while on the other hand, 21 of the 48 ‘least developed countries’ are, unfortunately, Islamic countries.”

- Production, finances and transportation

Drawing attention to three important goals, Hisarcıklıoğlu said that these are, “Production, finances and transportation.” Stating that the development of 19 of the 57 Islamic countries depends solely on petroleum and gas exports, Hisarcıklıoğlu also touched on the insufficiency of railroads. Hisarcıklıoğlu urged the increase of cooperation.

- Customs barriers must be surpassed

Hisarcıklıoğlu emphasized that customs barriers between Islamic countries prevent commerce. Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that visas must be lifted as soon as possible.

Stating that Turkey was the world’s second fastest growing country in 2011, ICCI Vice President and TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu emphasized that this was the private sector’s success.
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