Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

At the opening of the workshop, TOBB Board Member Mehmet Büyüksimitçi, TOBB Defense Industry Sector Council President Yılmaz Küçükseyhan, TOBB Civil Aviation Sector Council Advisor Yıldırım Saldıraner, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Turkey-USA Business Council Executive Director Jennifer Miel and U.S. Chamber of Commerce Defense and Aviation Export Council (DAEC) Chairman Keith Webster gave speeches.      

In his speech, TOBB Board Member Mehmet Büyüksimitci stated that TOBB and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's partnership in many areas is brought here as well, and that in this event, working with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, they brought together the members of the Turkish Defense Industry Sector and the Turkish Civil Aviation Sector operating within TOBB with US defense and civil aviation companies operating in Turkey.

Büyüksimitci stressed that as the umbrella organization of the Turkish business world, they always put importance and priority to trade relations with the United States, and for this purpose, they’ve developed multidimensional cooperation with the US Chamber of Commerce.

Stating that the $100 billion trade target announced by the two heads of state has increased their excitement, Mehmet Büyüksimitci said, “We know that we have a serious potential for bilateral trade and investment. In particular, the sectors we bring together today are among the engines of trade relations between our countries. In the Defense Industry and Civil Aviation sectors, there are serious opportunities for mutual trade and investment, and the Defense and Aviation Sector Turnover in our country has reached $7 billion. Defense and aviation exports, which were only a few hundred million dollars in the past, grew nearly 8-fold to the level of $2 billion. In 2002, we only carried out 66 defense projects with an outward dependency rate of approximately 80%. At this point, with a domesticity rate of over 65%, our number of projects has increased nearly 9-fold to 553. In 2002, the total volume of my defense projects was approximately $5.5 billion. At this point, a project volume of $41 billion has been reached with an increase of approximately 8 times. Given the ongoing projects in the tender process, it is projected that this amount will be over $60 billion."

Stating that a lot of effort has been put into achieving the present level of bilateral economic relations, Büyüksimitci said that they have achieved a serious momentum to further the relations and that they should protect this gain mutually.

Büyüksimitçi touching on the alliance of Turkey and the United States, said, “This alliance relationship has lasted for many years. It has undergone some very tough tests. Within NATO framework, our troops fought side by side for the same values. They have successfully accomplished the most dangerous, difficult tasks in the world. Unfortunately, this very strong aspect of our bilateral relations has been taking a serious test lately. We are concerned about these developments as the business community. We value Turkey's US relations. These relations are very important for both countries. It's also very important for our region and for the world. By being more responsive, we all have to take care of relationships. We are following the efforts of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and its companies doing business with Turkey in Washington, especially in the US Congress. We appreciate it.”

- Other speakers

TOBB Defense Industry Sector Council President Yılmaz Küçükseyhan said the two countries are undergoing a difficult period.

“When we say partnership between Turkey and the United States, of course we are talking about a mutual interest relationship. We're talking about our common interests, as well as mutual respect. At the same time, all of this actually comes to life with our efforts to keep the region safe and stable. As an industrial country, you have a responsibility to ensure good relations with your allies and friends.”

Küçükseyhan stressed that relations between Turkey and the United States are very important. Yılmaz Küçükseyhan continued his speech and touched on exports, imports and R&D efforts related to the Turkish defense industry.

TOBB Civil Aviation Sector Council Advisor Yıldırım Saldıraner gave information about civil aviation. Indicating that Turkey's civil air transportation has increased significantly, Saldıraner said, “In 2018, domestic flights were made to 56 domestic destinations. International flights were made to 318 destinations, i.e. 124 countries. Cargo traffic was 1.4 million tons, an increase of 10.5% compared to the previous year. Similar increases were recorded in 2019.”

Saldıraner stated that about 220,000 people are working in the civil aviation sector in Turkey; the total sector turnover is $30 billion. Yıldırım Saldıraner said, “Passenger and cargo transportation success shows in the aircraft manufacturing and maintenance industry. In this context, it carries out important cooperation with US partners. There is also a close relationship in maintenance activities. Our hope is that these existing relations and cooperation will continue to increase.”

Jennifer Miel, executive director of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Turkey-USA Business Council, said Turkey is one of the most important trading partners. Miel stated that they are trying to show that Turkey is a vital part of the U.S. supply chain at the US Congress, and that adverse effects to this would be negatively regarded by the US economy, employment and exports.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Defense and Aviation Export Council (DAEC) President Keith Webster said that the United States thrives in international markets thanks to innovation, “Reliable and innovative products. It has been dominant because the development of reliable, sustainable products have been carried out by our industries for 10 years. We support free market economies. The existence of an open and free market has enabled the international strengthening of US industry.”

Webster stated that they have been working for 40 years for the US and Turkey defense industry relations to reach the present point. Webster pointed out that this is a process of development and evolution, where patience and determination were important.