11.08.2007 President's Message

TUSKON, Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists of Turkey, representing all scales of companies, ranging from small to large, from every industry of Turkish economy continues to run on her march that has started in 2005. Our efforts to create new opportunities for our businessmen and to ensure that they assume their desired place as effective players in the globalized world, have developed a new framework that are growing day by day and receiving more attention. Now, in 2010, we are pleased to mention that our entrepreneurs have broadened their markets thanks to these Foreign TRade Bridge Programs and business delegations and now our sphere of activity has become the entire world.

New markets were opened

We have organized "Turkey-Africa Foreign Trade Bridge" for three times, "Turkey-Eurasia Foreign Trade Bridge", and "Turkey-Pacific Foreign Trade Bridge for twice, Turkey Eastern Europe Trade Bridge once throughout this period and we have achieved to create the basis of 5 billion dollars of trade volume thanks to "Foreign Trade
Bridge" programs. Finally with the "Turkey World Foreign Trade Bridge Program 2009", this concept took a new shape and became the largest match-making program in the world. Today many Turkish entrepreneurs have made investments in many African, Eurasian countries, with whom we never had any commercial relationship before. Similarly many businessmen from Africa, Eurasia, and Asia/Pacific countries have established very solid relationships at Turkey thanks to such activities. Events such as "Kazakhstan Foreign Trade Bridge in Astana" and "Turkey - Russia Business Forum in Moscow" that we organized in 2008. Kenya, Tanzania, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Albania business delegations led by the Prsident of Turkey and organized by TUSKON in 2008 and 2009, Minister of Foreign Trade’s South Africa, India, Kazakhstan business trips with TUSKON have achieved highly productive results and proved to be a very good follow up to Trade Bridge programs. With all of these efforts we have not only introduced new markets to Turkish businessmen but also opened the doors of opportunities of investment in Turkey to the entrepreneurs of numerous countries.

If we say that TUSKON, which aims to improve such success that was achieved through combination of experience and dynamism, is now one of the most important addresses of foreign trade in Turkey, we would not be misleading. Most of the international committees that are visiting our country are surely visiting also our head office in Istanbul and taking information about the industries, companies, and conditions of Turkey. We are trying to facilitate the operations of international guests and investors and to assist them regarding opportunities of investments through our network of knowledge and relationships.

Our offices in Brussels, Washington, Moscow, and Beijing are helping to provide such assistance and we are offering enlightening and efficient information both to Turkish business world and international investors in our offices. As TUSKON, we are aiming to raise the current level of Turkish economy, the 17th among the countries and for this purpose we will continue on our efforts for improving the potential of our country through local and international investors.

Best regards,
Riza Nur Meral
President, TUSKON