Bursa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BTSO) Chairman of the Board of Directors İbrahim Burkay stated that more than 4.500 companies applied to the SME OIZ project and said, “SME OIZ will be a very important start for the transformation of our industry and trade areas against earthquake hazard. I see this project as one of the most important services that the BTSO Assembly will do to Bursa.” said.
BTSO May Assembly Meeting was held at the Chamber Service Building. BTSO Chairman of the Board of Directors İbrahim Burkay stated that the May 14 elections were completed with a democratic maturity befitting Turkey, in an extremely peaceful environment. Expressing that the democratic will in the elections was realized with a participation rate of up to 90 percent, Burkay congratulated the deputies elected to the Turkish Grand National Assembly. President Burkay stated that he believed that the Presidential second round of elections to be held on 28 May will be completed with the same maturity and wished that the election results would be beneficial for the business world and Turkey.
“We Believe in the Potential of Our Country”
“It is our greatest wish that a period in which we will focus on the fundamental problems of the economy, such as exchange rate, inflation and current account deficit, will begin after the elections.” President Burkay said, “Recently, both the global effects and domestic developments, especially the pandemic crisis and the Russia-Ukraine war, have created some vulnerabilities in our economy. The recovery of the economic conjuncture in the world will be the driving force for our country to get out of this process quickly. As real sector players, we need to focus intensively on export activities that will eliminate the foreign trade deficit in this period. On the other hand, it is one of the most important factors in this period for the banks to review their approach to the real sector in terms of access to finance, in terms of the sustainability of production, investment and employment. As the business world of Bursa, we will continue to support all economic and structural reforms that will carry our country to its goals, and to maintain our strong belief in the power and potential of our country.” used the phrases.
“HOMETEX Becomes the Pride of Home Textiles”
Noting that as BTSO, they continue their export-oriented activities without slowing down, President Burkay stated that they successfully held the HOMETEX Fair, which is one of the most important meetings of the home textile industry, under the organization of KFA Fairs this year as well. Emphasizing that the fair held at Istanbul Expo Center on May 16-20 has become a source of pride for the industry, President Burkay said, “KFA Fair Organization, which we launched in 2013, has the authority to organize fairs and congresses not only in the country but also in many different geographies of the world. KFA Fair Organization, which has signed more than 200 international business trip programs, organized trade delegations to target markets, and carried out fair and congress programs both in the country and abroad, has achieved significant success in a short time. We see how accurate this project we put forward for the development of Bursa and Turkey's foreign trade is.” said.
“Demand Collection Process for Logistics Centers Has Started”
Noting that as BTSO, the establishment of Logistics Centers in Bursa, the production and export base, is among the biggest goals, Burkay said, “Our biggest need is to establish Logistics Centers, which are integrated with transportation networks such as road, rail and sea, and where storage and transportation services are offered together. In this context, we started to collect the demands of our companies. Our request collection process will continue until 27 June 2023. Then, we will share these demands with the commission formed under the leadership of our Bursa Governor's Office and our relevant institutions. The realization of Logistics Centers, which are strategic in the growth targets of the city, from warehouses to cold storages, from fuel stations to container stock areas, from commercial offices to social equipment areas, is of critical importance for the future goals of Bursa. I invite our companies to complete the application process quickly.” said.
“SME OIZ will be one of the most important services we will provide to Bursa”
Chairman İbrahim Burkay, who also made evaluations about the SME OIZ project, stated that the project came to the agenda in every meeting concerning the Bursa industry. Stating that the Minister of Industry and Technology, Mustafa Varank, has expressed his will on this issue and that he will start working on the SME OIZ, Burkay said, “This approach of our Minister is hopeful for us. Today, more than 4.500 companies have requested the project. 4 of our companies have committed to relocating their production in unplanned areas. The SME OIZ project will be a very important start for the transformation of our industry and trade areas against earthquake hazard. I also find this project very valuable as it is the beginning of a process that will offer solutions to Bursa's problems related to traffic, air pollution and the environment. I see this as the most important service we will do to Bursa as BTSO Assembly. I hope we will succeed together.” he said.
“The BTSO Temporary Living Space in Hatay is Ready”
President Burkay stated that they have continued their support to the region with the spirit of solidarity since the first day in order to heal the wounds of the earthquake disaster that took place on February 6th. Stating that the Temporary Living Space project, which they put forward to create a solution to the housing problem in the region, was realized with the support of the business world, Burkay said, “As BTSO, in Hatay, which is one of the provinces most affected by the earthquake, together with the Istanbul Chamber of Industry, Emlak Konut and Turkish Football Federation, it consists of 4 thousand containers. We have created a large living space. Disaster survivors began to settle in our living space, which will be a home for approximately 20 thousand people. Hopefully, we will visit the region together with our council members after the elections.” he said.
Noting that the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) General Assembly will be held next week, İbrahim Burkay added that he believes that TOBB will continue to achieve successful works in line with the goals of the business world and Turkey in the new term under the chairmanship of Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu.
“The Agenda Should Be Economics After the Election Process”
BTSO Assembly President Ali Uğur said that the elections were completed with democratic maturity and a high turnout rate. Wishing the results to be beneficial for Turkey, Ali Uğur said, “I congratulate our deputies who will represent our Bursa in the Turkish Grand National Assembly and wish them success in the new term. I believe that the second round of the presidential elections will be completed with the same maturity and peace. As the business world, the main expectation of us after the election process is to focus on the economy and production quickly. We need to prioritize reforms that will solve structural problems in the economy, especially in exchange rates, inflation and current account deficit, and policies that focus on the sustainability of growth. We believe in the potential and power of our country.” said.