Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

In his speech here, Hisarcıklıoğlu said that the friendship between Türkiye and Germany has a long history and that this friendship has withstood very serious challenges throughout history.

“In Türkiye, we use the term ‘military friendship’ for ancient friendships. Yes, Turkish and German people are military friends. After the Second World War, we came together against the Soviet threat, this time within NATO.” Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “We institutionalized our alliance relationship. We contributed to the economic development of Germany with our workforce.”

Emphasizing that the human dimension of the relations between the two countries is based on a solid foundation, Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that over three million people of Turkish origin, the majority of whom are German citizens, live in Germany.

Hisarcıklıoğlu pointed out that people of Turkish origin living in Germany carry out very important tasks in various fields such as business life, politics, sports, arts, education and health in the country and said, “They came to Germany with zero capital and now they employ 500,000 Germans.”

Emphasizing that Germany has always played a decisive role in Türkiye’s EU process, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “We are living in a period when we need this support more than ever. Germany’s support will be decisive in the modernization of the Customs Union, the visa problem experienced by business people, and overcoming the problems of transport quotas.”

Stating that Germany is Türkiye’s most important trading partner and foreign investor, Hisarcıklıoğlu said: “We are proud of both the investments of German companies in Türkiye and the investments of Turkish companies in Germany. As the President of Germany, Mr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, has aptly said, ‘Germany does not have such intensive economic and social relations with any other country in the world’.”

- Trade Minister Bolat

Trade Minister Ömer Bolat emphasized that TATSO is a distinguished organization that has been working for 20 years for the development of trade and investments between Germany and Türkiye and thanked the founders and executives of TATSO for their contributions.

Stating that the world has been going through a very turbulent process for the last 4 years, such as Covid-19, the Ukraine-Russia War and the resulting food and energy crises, Bolat said that last year the global economy saw a mediocre average growth of 3.1 percent.

Bolat emphasized that investment, production, employment and exports continue to increase in Türkiye’s economy in 2023 and noted that Türkiye’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 4.5 percent last year.

Bolat also mentioned the bilateral investments between Türkiye and Germany and said, “I am sure that it is also important for Germany to have an annual trade relationship of 50 billion dollars with Türkiye for the German economy.”

Stating that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier showed the trade volume of 60 billion dollars as a target for the ministers and the business world at their meeting in Ankara 4 days ago, Bolat said, “The valuable business people of Türkiye and Germany will definitely achieve this target in a few years, Allah willing.”

- Modernizing the Customs Union as the basis for fair and friendly cooperation

Peter Adrian, President of the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DHIK), emphasized that the Customs Union between Türkiye and the EU should be modernized and said that new openings are needed in agriculture, digital services and public procurement. Adrian said, “The Customs Union is important. It should not be underestimated. This is the basis of fair and friendly cooperation.”

Commenting on the visa problem for Turkish citizens in EU countries, Adrian said, “I have a company in Luxembourg and a company in Germany. When my general managers invite their Turkish friends, it is better to do it through Luxembourg because it is easier for them to get visas here than in Germany. We should work on this.”

- The entrepreneurial spirit of Turks

Fransizka Giffey, Senator of Economy of the State of Berlin in Germany, emphasized the entrepreneurial spirit of Turks and stated that Berlin needs Turkish entrepreneurs.

- Visa issue is the biggest problem

Ahmet Başar Şen, Ambassador of Türkiye to Berlin, stated that the recent mutual visits of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier have added a new momentum to the relations between the two countries and noted that they will continue to work towards the 60 billion dollar trade target between Germany and Türkiye set by the two presidents.

Emphasizing that the problems in visa applications from Türkiye to Germany continue, Başar said, “The visa problem is still the biggest problem in the relations between Germany and Türkiye.”

(A.A.)