Dear Members,
I congratulate our 37th DEİK Ordinary Elective General Assembly and thank outgoing Board of Directors and Board of Auditors for their work, and I extend my best wishes to the newly elected Board of Directors and Audit Committee members.
As the Polaris of our business world, DEİK has been conducting our “Business Diplomacy” activities for 39 years with our 152 Business Councils spread across the world, aiming to increase international investment and trade.
We derive our strength from our 97 founding institutions and corporate members, as well as our voluntary firm memberships. Our Business Councils constitute the backbone of our work. As the window of Turkish business to the world, we collaborate with counterpart organizations in every corner of the globe.
In recent years, we have witnessed significant transformations affecting the entire world with increasing momentum: uncertainty following the Russia-Ukraine war, disruptions in the supply chain, rising energy and food prices, security-related issues, and inflation reaching historically high levels worldwide.
In addition, as we discuss trade liberalization, we have seen the emergence of trade blocks. Concepts such as friend shoring and near shoring have entered our agenda. We also see both the opportunities and risks brought by the green transformation in terms of investment and growth. Similarly, with digital transformation, new business models have emerged, presenting opportunities to enhance efficiency. While goods trade remains prominent, areas such as services trade and e-commerce have become increasingly discussed, posing areas of risk for those who fail to capitalize on them.
Furthermore, the humanitarian tragedy perpetrated by Israel in Gaza continues unabated. I urgently call for the immediate cessation of the inhumane process targeting civilians, women, and children, and for the urgent establishment of a lasting peace. My greatest wish is that the ongoing drama in Gaza does not compound the existing risks by precipitating a regional chaos.
As DEİK, we closely monitor all these global economic and trade trends and shape our strategies and activities accordingly.
In the upcoming period, we will continue to work effectively by dividing the America Department as North and Latin America, increasing our efforts in Europe despite the delayed modernization of the customs union, taking greater advantage of the opportunities arising in the Middle East, fostering more cooperation in Africa, balancing our bilateral trade as much as possible in the Asia-Pacific, expanding our trade with the member countries of the Organization of Turkic States, and coordinating more closely with our DTİK Diaspora representatives in 131 countries.
Together with our Board of Directors and Business Councils, as it has been so until today, our goal will be to work with all our strength to increase the prosperity and gratefulness of our nation, to be more effective internationally, and to ensure that our children continue to live in a more livable and just world, in line with our country's objectives.
As DEİK, with the mission of being the Polaris for the Turkish business world, we will continue our “Business Diplomacy” efforts with the same enthusiasm in the new period, under the support of our President and the coordination of our Minister of Trade.
Best regards,
Nail OLPAK
President of DEİK
