Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu started his speech by celebrating the 95^th anniversary of the Republic.

Hisarcıklıoğlu expressed his gratitude to the Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar for his participation in the meeting. “We are grateful to him for fulfilling this great responsibility in these difficult times. Now, as the first Minister of National Defense of the Presidential Government System, he also assumed an important role. I would like to express our gratitude to Minister Akar for his devoted efforts for the indivisible integrity of our homeland and security of our nation. As the 81 million, we can do business safely, if we can live peacefully in our homes; we owe this to our Turkish Armed Forces and security organization. May Allah grant our army, our security forces victory in all their battles.”

Stating that the national and spiritual value of the Machinery and Chemical Industry Agency is of the highest order, the TOBB President said, “Since the early years of the Republic, a significant part of the ammunition used by our army has been produced in this facility. Therefore, I would like to thank Mr. Mehmet Ünal, Deputy General Manager of MKE, for being a most gracious host. I also thank the Turkey Defense Industry Sector Council President and the valuable council members. They, as the public-private sector consultation platform, are working with great solemnity and devotion. They had a big share in the growth and development of our sector. May Allah bless them all.”

TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that the world has become a less secure place in the last 10 years and added, “According to the World Peace Index, the global peace environment has been shrinking for 4 years consecutively. There are conflicts in 44 countries, 35 of them are in Islamic countries. In many countries, a constant perception of threat from international terrorism prevails. Even the most developed countries of the world suffer from a great deal of terrorism.

Look, I say this everywhere: There is no trade where there is no peace. There is no wealth in the absence of trade. The world needs to be a safer place to become a richer place. But no matter how strong, no country can establish world peace on its own. I regret to express that the international community, particularly NATO and the UN, has failed to fulfill expectations.

Permanent solutions have not been produced for conflicts. Here we see our region is a ring of fire. The last 10 years, more than 50% of human deaths in armed conflicts in the world have occurred in two countries bordering Turkey, Iraq and Syria. Turkey fighting PKK, Daesh and FETO terrorist organizations domestically, has also had to maintain border security. In this context, Afrin, Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch Operations were performed successfully. I would like to once again express my gratitude to our army and to our Minister.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “Turkish Aviation and Defense Industry turnover increased from 1.8 billion dollars in 2006 to 7 billion dollars in 2017. We are on the list of the world's biggest defense companies. The domestic coverage ratio of our military equipment increased from 25% in 2003 to over 60% in 2017. We have also advanced in global competition. Defense industry sector exports increased from 480 million dollars in 2006 to 1.7 billion dollars in 2017. I am proud of the architects of this success, our Ministry of Defense, our General Staff, our Defense Industry Directorate and our companies.

Without the public sector support, the private sector would not have been able to accomplish this success alone, without the determination and diligence of the private sector. Of course we won't be satisfied with these achievements. Turkish defense industry; In the areas of production, export and technology development, it has the potential to achieve much more than it has ever done. Look, Mehmet Akif said very well: ‘Those who catch up, crush the sleepers on the road. There is no right to life for those who stagnate. Humanity does not stop. If you stop, you will definitely be crushed.’

We need to focus on the trademark of the new Industrial Revolution, developing unique technologies in areas such as advanced materials, artificial intelligence and cyber security. In this period, it is not enough to make efficient use of, and process metals to a high quality. Whatever we are producing, we have to integrate technology. At this point we must act together. The public administration should trust and support us. The big players of the sector and the SMEs located around them should act together. No organization can perform all stages of its final product alone, no matter how large it is. It is very important here that our defense sector companies incorporate SMEs into their production processes to the maximum extent. Today, we will discuss how we can increase the share of SMEs from defense industry contracts.”

Stating that they want to convey an important issue to the government through Minister Akar, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “I had recently stated similar to the President. There is a slowdown in the market, money is not cycling. To overcome this challenge, we expect bold and decisive steps. We believe that it will be beneficial to give support to the sectors that have a high share in trade, exports and employment. In this way, both economic activity will revive, the morale of citizens and companies will rise.”

- Minister Akar

National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar also stated that, “Our point of operation after Manbij  will be our field of work regarding the terrorist targets in the east of the Euphrates.”

Akar stated that there are a variety of problems in the Turkey’s region which cannot be ignored.

Referring to the process reached in Idlib, Minister Akar pointed out President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's initiative and talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin had culminated in the signing of a memorandum in Sochi.

Stressing that promises regarding Manbij have not fulfilled, Minister Akar stated that a roadmap has been prepared.

- Ergün Atalay

Türk-İş Chairman Ergün Atalay said, “Every day, an average of 5 workers lose their lives in an accident at work. For simple reasons. The shoe on his feet, his glasses and hat cost only 300 TRY. There are times when we can’t even afford that.”

Atalay stated that he represents a family of 4 million, of a million workers. Atalay stressed the need to increase minimum wage to 2,000 TRY.

Kırıkkale Governor Mehmet İlker Haktankaçmaz said, “MKEK is the owner of Kırıkkale; the reason for the existence of Kırıkkale. Kırıkkale is the city that gives its name to the weapon and the homeland of the weapon.  The land allocations and works are in progress for the Weapons Specialized Organized Industrial Zone.”

Prior to the meeting, Minister Akar, TOBB President Hisarciklioglu and Turkish-Business President Atalay MKE ate together with the workers and visited the production facilities.