Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

Hisarcıklıoğlu thanked the Kayseri Chamber of Commerce Chair Mahmut Hiçyılmaz for hosting the event, “’Future in Kayseri’ is very meaningful. It shows us where the North Star is. It is especially important that the chamber is giving out awards for 50 years of service; this shows loyalty. Those who wonder why the future is in Kayseri should look to the last 50 years. Kayseri used to be known as solely a city for a long time. It learned industrialization by itself. It became Turkey’s most important export city. It invested in education. It became one of the most important cities for education. Universities in Kayseri have come to be the most preferred after the ones in İstanbul and Ankara. Now, the goal is to become a city for tourism. It has come far. Consider: There are no ports, no shores, no fertile soil, no highways, no borders with foreign countries, no discernable advantages at all. How has all of this been achieved? Through unity and solidarity.”

- Trade intellect, entrepreneurial power

Stating that an advantage Kayseri has is its people, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “It’s not me saying it. It’s you. We conduct surveys in the cities we visit. I asked what the greatest advantage the city had was. Each city answers differently. What did Kayseri say? Trade intellect and culture, hard-working, entrepreneurial spirit and power.”

- Kayseri surpassing all indicators

Reporting that Kayseri is ahead of Turkey’s averages in number of companies established, number of taxpayers, institutional tax payers, women’s employment and exports, Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that they began G3 meetings wherein they bring youth together with entrepreneurs and said, “These were always held in İstanbul. Now we are spreading them out over Anatolia. It is fitting that the first was Kayseri.”

- We must focus on structural reforms

Pointing out that there are no elections for four years following the elections in June, Hisarcıklıoğlu emphasized the need to focus on structural reforms. Stating that Kayseri needs an international airport and high velocity train connections, Hisarcıklıoğlu also urged that Kayseri bi included into the tourism policies prepared for the Cappadocia Region, calling for a plan for a tourism destination stretching from Erciyes to the Aladağ range.