Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

Tüymebayev stated that the Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s 11-12 October state visit to Turkey will further these bonds of fraternity.

- Hisarcıklıoğlu appeared on Kazakhstan State Television

Following his meeting with Ambassador Tüymebayev, TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu was interviewed by the Kazakhstan State Television. During the interview in which Hisarcıklıoğlu assessed Kazakhstan-Turkey relations, stating that the two people share a heritage and that Kazakhstan is the Turk’s ancestral homeland; that the relations between the two countries have improved along with Kazakhstan’s independence.

Reminding the words of Nazarbayev 20 years ago, “Bring a Turk with you when coming to Kazakhstan to do business! You will have better results,” Hisarcıklıoğlu expressed how pleased he is with the development Kazakhstan has achieved.

Emphasizing that Kazakhstan is today a country with weight to its words and promises, the TOBB President reported that the economic affairs between the two countries are rapidly developing. Drawing attention to the fact that bilateral trade figures have reached 3-4 billion Dollars, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “Is this enough? No. We must reach much higher numbers.”

Stating that Nazarbayev is the wise man of the Turkish world, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “He is showing the way to the whole Turkish world.”

- Cooperation for industrial zones

In reply to a question regarding the establishment of a Turk-Kazakh joint industrial zone, M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu emphasized that the whole Turkish business community needs to be organized under TOBB’s umbrella. Pointing out the happiness resulting from the lifting of visas between the two countries TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “Does a sibling need permission to visit his siblings? By lifting visas we have eliminated one of the biggest obstacles to trade between us.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “We have built the largest industrial zones of the world. We are ready to share this experience with our Kazakh brothers. Kazakhstan has set itself the goal of becoming one of the 50 most developed countries in the world. I believe that they will achieve this goal. They have the most prosperous and plentiful natural resources in the world. They have an entrepreneurial spirit. As the president of the Turkish business community, I stand ready to share all of my experience.”

Stating that they consider the future of Kazakhstan as very bright, Hisarcıklıoğlu said that the business community’s most important expectation is the lessening of bureaucracy. Hisarcıklıoğlu also reported that it is possible to establish a company in Turkey in under an hour.
​