In a private meeting with ICC Chairman Victor K. Fung yesterday, Turkish President Abdullah Gul reaffirmed Turkey’s commitment to cross border trade within the scope of international rules.
Rifat Hisarcıklıoglu, President of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) and Chairman of ICC Turkey also represented ICC at the meeting.
Speaking in response to Mr Fung’s remarks that while world markets were showing early indications of recovery protectionist measures should be resisted, President Gul agreed that protectionism remained a real threat to recovery.
During the meeting, which took place at the Cankaya Presidential Palace in Ankara, Mr Fung stressed that the multilateral trading system could be strengthened by successfully concluding the Doha Round of trade negotiations as swiftly as possible.
Mr Fung highlighted ICC’s global campaign to provide business input into the deliberations of the G20. He said that ICC considered Turkey to be a key member of the G20 and one that was well positioned to voice business messages in international markets.
Mr Fung also briefed Mr Gul on ICC’s role as the voice of world business and informed him of ICC’s advocacy efforts to promote the multilateral trading system and restore trade finance to more normal levels.
Earlier in the day Mr Fung, Mr Hisarcıklıoglu and Rona Yircali, Chairman of the Turkish Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK) and Chairman of the ICC World Chambers Federation (WCF), met with Turkish State Minister for Foreign Trade Zafer Caglayan.
Referring to the current economic climate, Mr Caglayan told the ICC delegation that during the current crisis, Turkey had been the only country to have recorded a two-grade increase in its credit rating.
Mr Fung participated in the meetings as part of a two-day visit to the country, which also included meetings with Chairman of the Turkish Exporters Assembly Mehmet Buyukeksi, DEIK and TOBB.
At an event hosted by Mr Yircali in Istanbul on Monday, Mr Fung addressed over 120 Turkish business leaders. He told guests that Turkey, which has been a member of the World Trade Organization since 1995, had been well served by the multilateral trading system.
“The level playing field in international trade has provided the platform for Turkey to develop its export industries,” he said. “In addition, Turkey’s geographic location as the cross-road between the traditional export market in Europe and the fast growing Asian economies will provide it with significant economic opportunities for decades to come.”
Turkey joined ICC in 1934 and has been a particularly active member for the past 76 years.
Two years ago, WCF held its biennial world Congress in Istanbul attracting over 1,600 delegates from 118 countries.
