DISTINGUISHED PRESIDENT OF SOMALIA,
DISTINGUISHED MINISTER,
DISTINGUISHED REPRESENTATIVES OF OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY,
AND DEAR GUESTS...
I WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND YOU GREETINGS PERSONALLY AND ON BEHALF OF THE BURSA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY WITH THE HONOR OF HOSTING YOU IN BURSA THAT IS THE LOCOMOTIVE CITY OF THE ECONOMY OF TURKEY.
WELCOME TO OUR COUNTRY AND BURSA.
DISTINGUISHED PRESIDENT ARRIVED OUR COUNTRY THE DAY BEFORE TO ATTEND THE SOMALIA 6TH HIGH LEVEL PARTNERSHIP FORUM WHICH WAS HELD IN ISTANBUL.
IN THIS MEETING, BOTH THE STEPS TO TAKE TO SOLVE THE PROBLEMS THAT SOMALIA HAS BEEN GOING THROUGH AND THE DEVELOPMENTS OF SOMALIA IN RECENT YEARS WERE EVALUATED.
AND TODAY, DISTINGUISHED PRESIDENT IS ATTENDING OUR MEETING AND COMING TOGETHER WITH OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY THROUGH THE PARTICULAR IMPORTANCE HE HAS BEEN GIVING BURSA WHICH IS THE HEART OF THE ECONOMY OF TURKEY.
AND ONCE AGAIN, I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESS MY GRATITUDE TO THE DISTINGUISHED PRESIDENT.
DISTINGUISHED PRESIDENT,
WE AND SOMALIA HAVE ROOTED RELATIONS SINCE OTTOMAN EMPIRE PERIOD UNTIL TODAY.
AFTER ALMOST 20 YEARS OF CONFLICT, SOMALIA HAS STARTED TO BE CONSTRUCTED AGAIN WITH THE SUPPORT OF OUR COUNTRY TOO.
TURKEY WHICH HAS BEEN EMBRACING MILLIONS OF SUFFERERS FROM DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHIES OF THE WORLD, AND TAKING ON THE RESPONSIBILTY TO ENABLE THEM TO REACH THE WELFARE LEVEL HAS STANDED BY THE COMMUNITY OF SOMALIA IN THEIR HARDEST TIMES.
WE MADE AN IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTION TO PROVIDE THE SECURITY AND PEACE WITH OUR SOLDIERS IN A PERIOD SOMALIA HAS BEEN STRUGGLING WITH DOMESTIC RIOT.
JUST 5 YEARS AGO, WE SUFFERED THE LOSS OF THOUSANDS OF BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN SOMALIA WHICH WAS STRUGGLING TO DEAL WITH NOT ONLY THE WORST DROUGHT OF THE LAST 60 YEARS BUT ALSO THE CURRENT PROBLEMS THEY HAD.
AT THIS PERIOD, AS THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, WE PROVIDED THE SUPPORT OF BURSA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY IN THE AID CAMPAIGN STARTED WITH THE LEADERSHIP OF THE UNION OF CHAMBERS AND COMMODITY EXCHANGES OF TURKEY.
THROUGH THE VISIT OF MR. RECEP TAYYİP ERDOĞAN; PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY TO CAPITAL MOGADISHU, THE DEEP AND ROOTED HISTORICAL RELATIONS BETWEEN TWO COUNTRIES HAVE STRENGTHENED.
TURKEY THAT BUILT THE LARGEST HOSPITAL OF THE EAST AFRICA TO SOMALIA PUT MANY IMPORTANT PROJECTS INTO THE SERVICE; PORT AND AIRPORT BEING IN THE FIRST PLACE, INCLUDING SOCIAL AND CULTURAL PROJECTS.
AFTER HAVING HARD TIMES, SOMALIA NOW HAS REACHED A POSITION HAVING A STRONG STANDING AGAINST THE CURRENT PROBLEMS AND PLANNING THE FUTURE FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH.
WE HOPE THAT THE PEACE AND STABILITY TRIED TO BE SUSTAINED WILL INCREASE IN THE NEXT PERIOD.
IN THIS CONTEXT, AS THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY OF BURSA, WE HOPE THAT THE PEOPLE OF SOMALIA WILL REACH THE WELFARE LEVEL AND THE TRADE BETWEEN TWO COUNTRIES WILL INCREASE.
DISTINGUISHED PRESIDENT,
AND TODAY, AS THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY OF BURSA, WE ARE READY TO SHARE THE EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE OF BURSA, WHICH IS THE DRIVING FORCE OF THE ECONOMY OF THE COUNTRY, WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THE DEVELOPMENT PLAN OF SOMALIA.
YOUR EXCELLENCY MR. PRESIDENT,
DISTINGUISHED GUESTS,
THE EXPORT AMOUNT OF TURKEY TO SOMALIA IN 2014 IS APPROXIMATELY 55 MILLION DOLLARS. OUR IMPORT IS ABOUT 1,5 MILLION DOLLARS
THIS FIGURE EXCEEDED 70 MILLION DOLLARS IN 2015.
AS THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY OF BURSA, WHICH LIES IN THE SECOND RANK IN THE EXPORTS OF TURKEY, WE HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES WITH AN AMOUNT OF 750 THOUSAND DOLLARS IN 2014. EXPORT OF BURSA IS 650 THOUSAND DOLLARS AND THE IMPORT IS 100 THOUSAND DOLLARS.
OUR EXPORT AMOUNT TO SOMALIA WAS TOTALLY 1 MILLION 535 THOUSAND DOLLARS IN 2015 IN TERMS OF CHEMICAL SUBSTANCES, FURNITURE MATERIALS AND ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICAL DEVICES.
AS THE COMMERCIAL FIGURES DECLARE, OUR COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES WITH SOMALIA, THAT ARE IN THE PROCESS OF RE-BOOMING, INCREASE DAY BY DAY.
NOW WE ARE ABLE TO SEE THAT TURKISH PRODUCTS ARE WIDELY USED IN MANY SECTORS IN SOMALIA.
BURSA, WHICH IS THE MANUFACTURING AND EXPORT CENTER OF TURKEY, APPEALS MANY INTERNATIONAL MARKETS DUE TO ITS SECTORIAL VARIETIES IT POSSESSES.
HOWEVER, THE INTENSIVE COMPETITION IN THE WORLD, THE RECESSION IN THE EUROPEAN MARKET AND THE POLITICAL AND ECONOMICAL CRISES IN THIS GEOGRAPHY WILL CONTRIBUTE SIGNIFICANTLY TO BOTH THE INVESTMENT NEEDS OF SOMALIA AND THE PRODUCT RANGE OF THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY OF BURSA.
IN THIS CONTEXT, WE CONSIDER THE AFRICAN MARKET IMPORTANT, OF WHICH THE IMPORTANCE INCREASES DAY BY DAY AND WHICH IS EXPECTED TO REACH AN AVERAGE GROWTH RATE OF 4 PERCENT, IN TERMS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR COMMERCIAL RELATIONS.
AS THE BURSA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, WE DEVELOP IMPORTANT PROJECTS TO ENABLE OUR CITY TO BECOME MORE POWERFUL IN THE INTERNATIONAL ARENA AND TO INCREASE THE COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL OF OUR MEMBERS.
THE GLOBAL FAIR AGENCY PROJECT OF OUR CHAMBER ENABLED 35 THOUSAND MEMBERS OF OUR CHAMBER TO VISIT THE TRADE FAIRS IN DIFFERENT CORNERS OF THE WORLD AND THE COMMERCIAL SAFARI PROJECT ENABLES THE GLOBAL BUYER DELEGATIONS TO MEET THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY OF BURSA.
DISTINGUISHED PRESIDENT,
AS PER YOUR AUTHORISATION, WE ARE READY TO BRING TOGETHER THE BUSINESS PEOPLE OF SOMALIA WITH THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY OF BURSA FOR NEW BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES.
WE DESIRE TO FOSTER OUR FRIENDSHIP BY ESTABLISHING BILATERAL COMMERCIAL AND INVESTMENT DELEGATIONS.
I BELIEVE THAT SUCH CO-OPERATIONS WILL CONTRIBUTE SIGNIFICANTLY TO THE COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN BURSA AND THE COUNTRIES THAT WANT TO MAKE A MOVE ECONOMICALLY SUCH AS SOMALIA.
DISTINGUISHED PRESIDENT,
I WOULD LIKE TO EXPLAIN THE MAIN PROBLEMS EXPRESSED BY OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY IN ORDER TO DEVELOP THE COMMERCIAL AND INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES.
WE KINDLY ASK FOR A SPECIAL ATTENTION FOR THE SECURITY OF THE REPRESENTATIVES OF OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY WHO VISIT THE COUNTRY FOR INVESTMENTS.
DUE TO THE BANKING SYSTEM WHICH LACKS THE INFRASTRUCTURE, THE EXPORTERS FACE DIFFICULTIES IN TERMS OF THE COLLECTION OF REVENUES AND CASH PAYMENTS.
ANOTHER PROBLEM IS THE AVAILABILITY OF ONLY THE BARBERA AND MOGADISHU PORTS WHICH ARE QUITE FAR AWAY FROM EACH OTHER.
AT THIS POINT, IN ADDITION TO THE APPLICATIONS THAT ENCOURAGE THE IMPORTERS, THE INCREASE OF THE NUMBER OF PORTS IS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR TO INCREASE OUR TRADE.
DISTINGUISHED PRESIDENT,
IN ADDITION TO BEING AN INDUSTRIAL CITY, BURSA IS AN AGRICULTURAL CITY, AS WELL.
SOMALIA, OF WHICH THE PRODUCTION IS BASED ON AGRICULTURE TO A LARGE EXTENT, CAN BENEFIT FROM THE KNOW-HOW AND EXPERIENCE OF BURSA, WHICH IS AN IMPORTANT CENTER IN BOTH SECTORS.
BURSA, WHICH DOMINATES THE ECONOMY OF TURKEY, ALSO HOSTS WORLD-FAMOUS AUTOMOTIVE COMPANIES.
BURSA IS AN IMPORTANT CENTER IN THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY, WHICH IS THE KEY SECTOR OF THE ECONOMY OF OUR CITY, AND ALSO THE MACHINERY AND THE CHEMISTRY SECTORS WHICH GROW DAY BY DAY.
BURSA, WHICH REPRESENTS THE POWER OF OUR COUNTRY IN MANUFACTURING, LEADS THE TARGETS OF TURKEY WITH ITS EXPORTS TO MORE THAN 200 COUNTRIES AND REGIONS.
DISTINGUISHED PRESIDENT, DISTINGUISHED GUESTS;
AS THE BURSA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, WE CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE MOTTO OF “BURSA GROWS, TURKEY GROWS” TO ENABLE BURSA, WHICH IS THE LOCOMOTIVE OF THE TURKISH ECONOMY, TO REACH THE DESERVED POSITION IN OUR COUNTRY AND IN OUR REGION.
WE WILL CONTINUE OUR PROJECTS AND SUPPORT TO ENABLE OUR CITY TO REACH THE POSITION THAT IT DESERVES IN ITS REGION AND TO ENABLE OUR COUNTRY TO REACH THE POSITION THAT T DESERVES IN THE WORLD.
WE HAVE SET IMPORTANT GOALS IN ORDER FOR OUR COUNTRY TO REACH THE 2023 TARGETS.
THE ROAD TO THESE TARGETS IS THROUGH THE MARKETS IN VARIOUS GEOGRAPHICAL REGIONS SUCH AS THE FAR EAST AND AFRICA.
IN THIS CONTEXT, WE CONSIDER THE VISIT OF HIS EXCELLENCY MR. PRESIDENT AS A VERY IMPORTANT STEP TO ENHANCE THE TIES BETWEEN TURKEY AND SOMALIA IN THE COMMERCIAL RELATIONS, AS WELL BASED ON MUTUAL ADVANTAGES.
DISTINGUISHED PRESIDENT,
IN ADDITION TO BEING AN IMPORTANT CENTER OF MANUFACTURING, INDUSTRY AND EXPORT, BURSA IS A CONSIDERABLE ACADEMIC KNOW-HOW.
YOU WERE HOSTED TODAY BY THE ULUDAĞ UNIVERSITY WHICH HAS 21 STUDENTS FROM SOMALIA.
I WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS THAT WE CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOMALIA BY TRAINING MORE STUDENTS FROM SOMALIA.
DISTINGUISHED PRESIDENT,
TODAY, MR. CEMALETTİN KANİ TORUN; A MEMBER OF THE PARLIAMENT REPRESENTING BURSA IS ALSO WITH US.
AS YOU KNOW, HE IS THE FIRST REPRESENTATIVE OF THE NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION TAKING THE RESPONSIBILITY OF WORKING AS AMBASSADOR IN YOUR COUNTRY AFTER THE VISIT OF OUR DISTINGUISHED PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY DURING HIS PRIME MINISTRY PERIOD.
MR. TORUN GIVING IMPORTANT SERVICES TO BOTH SOMALIA AND OUR COUNTRY WITH GREAT EFFORTS FOR 3 YEARS HAD AN ACTIVE ROLE IN THE REORGANIZATION OF THE GOVERNMENT, CONSTRUCTION OF NEW HOSPITALS AND BRINGING IN SOCIAL FACILITIES TO THE COUNTRY.
I BELIEVE WHOLEHEARTEDLY THAT MR. TORUN; WORKING ALSO AS THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF THE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMISSION IN THE GRAND NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF TURKEY WILL CONTRIBUTE MUCH TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE RELATIONS BETWEEN BURSA AND SOMALIA.
I HOPE THAT THE VISIT OF THE DISTINGUISHED PRESIDENT OF SOMALIA TO OUR COUNTRY AFTER THE MEANINGFUL VISIT OF PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY MR. RECEP TAYYIP ERDOĞAN AND THE CO-OPERATION AGREEMENTS SIGNED WILL BE BENEFICIAL FOR BOTH COUNTRIES.
HEREBY, I WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS MY GRATITUTE TO HIS EXCELLENCY MR. HASAN ŞEYH MAHMUD; PRESIDENT OF SOMALIA WHO HAS HONORED US BY ATTENDING OUR MEETING. AND I HOPE THAT THIS MEETING WILL FORM A BASIS FOR NEW COLLABORATIONS.
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