02.11.2024

Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tunç Soyer addressed the business community at the 2nd ESIAD Investment Summit. He emphasized that without the rule of law, human rights, environmental harmony, and democracy, there can be no economy. Mayor Soyer stated, "Wherever you are in Turkey, please demand the establishment of democratic conditions from the government and local authorities. This is your most natural right."

Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tunç Soyer participated in the second annual Aegean Industrialists and Businesspeople Association (ESİAD) Investment Summit. The summit, where topics such as access to finance, international partnerships, and capital market opportunities were discussed, was held at the Hyatt Regency Izmir Istinye Park. Besides Mayor Tunç Soyer, the event was attended by Izmir Governor Dr. Süleyman Elban, President of the Izmir Chamber of Commerce Mahmut Özgener, President of the ESIAD High Advisory Council Sıtkı Şükürer, President of ESİAD Sibel Zorlu, as well as representatives of civil society and professional organizations and business leaders.

"Without law, human rights, environmental harmony, and democracy, there can be no economy."
President Tunç Soyer, who delivered the opening speech at the summit, said, "We know very well that the determination of the right investments and investment financing is not an isolated phenomenon. Investment results from historical and societal processes, and political and democratic conditions are indicators. As we enter the 100th year of our Republic, it is certainly not a desirable situation for our country to still face investment difficulties. Therefore, while discussing investment opportunities at this summit, we need to reevaluate the general political and democratic conditions in our country. At the Congress for Future’s Economy, which we organized in March, we clearly described what kind of ground we need for healthy economic development, along with all the stakeholders present in this hall today; without the rule of law, freedom of expression, human rights, harmony with nature, and democracy, there can be no economy. If there is an economy in such conditions, it will lead to inflation, poverty, unemployment, and even famine."

"We believe in a Turkey where no one is left behind"
President Soyer emphasized the importance of a functioning democracy with all its institutions and rules as the fundamental right of the people, stating that even the slightest deficiency in realizing this right is experienced as a major weakness in investment and finance. He further highlighted that both on a national and local level, the construction of a system that fully respects the universal principles of democracy and the rule of law is imperative. He also pointed out that each day of delay in building such a system leads to a further decrease in investments in the country. President Soyer encouraged all the valuable business people, investment funds, and corporate finance institutions participating in the summit, regardless of where they are in Turkey, to demand the establishment of the democratic conditions described above from the government and local administrations. He stressed that it is their natural right to ask for more transparency and greater responsiveness to their voices and noted that in societies where democratic rules do not function, certain groups may become rich temporarily, but this cannot be considered economic development. He underscored that without the fair distribution of wealth throughout society, one cannot speak of a strong economy. President Soyer firmly believed in a Turkey where no one is left behind and considered this goal as the most fundamental prerequisite for an increase in investments in the country.

“The future is not what is expected, it is what is built.”
In the final part of his speech, President Soyer emphasized the decisions made during the Congress for Future’s Economy. He stated that during the Congress for Future’s Economy, they had meticulously defined all the conditions, strategies, and critical actions required to have an economy worthy of this great legacy in the 100th year of the Republic. He underlined that it was not a specific group but rather the entire business community, labor unions, and farmers' organizations of the country that participated. Many academics and experts specializing in the field of economics accompanied this group, which holds the lifeblood of the economy in its hands. As a result, they collectively built a vision for Turkey's future with a comprehensive set of 303 resolutions. President Soyer concluded by emphasizing that the future is not something to be passively awaited; it is something to be actively constructed.

“It's a strange thing to go public and victimize people in the stock market.”
Izmir Governor Dr. Süleyman Elban emphasized the importance of investment and investment financing when the economy is contracting and crises are being discussed. He mentioned that when discussing the development of industry worldwide, the issue of financing has always been a significant topic. He also noted that the financing models would be extensively discussed, and some aspects of these models are quite good. Governor Elban suggested that a different perspective is needed, highlighting that engaging in manipulative practices to increase a company's value and potentially harm small investors or having large investors dominate and overtake small investors seems strange and unethical. He also mentioned that besides digital investments, many are engaged in real estate, even in organized industrial zones, acquiring extensive land plots with the expectation of increasing their value in the future. Governor Elban concluded that dealing with the matter healthily and ethically would lead to more efficient business operations and better representation.

Head of the European Union Delegation to Turkey, Ambassador Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut, attended the summit with a video message. "Adaptation to climate change is important while growing."
Mahmut Özgener, the Chairman of the Izmir Chamber of Commerce, expressed that the effects of the global crisis triggered by the pandemic are still ongoing. He pointed out that the pandemic revealed inadequacies in managing issues such as globalization, free trade flows, healthcare systems, climate change, and income distribution. While global free trade boosted banks, pharmaceutical companies, multinational corporations, and major technology companies, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and service companies ended up on the losing side. He emphasized that the world now collectively acknowledges the importance of adopting principles of efficiency and fairness. To align with the world, it's essential to not consider quantitative growth as the sole success criterion under all circumstances. While pursuing growth, it's crucial to focus on adapting to climate change, strengthening food and energy infrastructure, public health investments, and labor issues. In these circumstances, one of the steps we can take is investing in the clean energy sector. Increasing renewable energy sources and prioritizing clean and reliable energy transformation in investment decisions are crucial for our future.

“We are being forced to pay the price of wrong policies”
ESİAD High Advisory Council Chairman Sıtkı Şükürer, starting his speech with the words "Bitter and harsh realities," stated that Turkey, with its national income approaching 1 trillion dollars, is a major country. However, to maintain a balanced and healthy development, Turkey needs to be a member of the international community in both economic and universal legal terms. Wrong policies leave the entire society to pay the bill. Şükürer also highlighted the high inflation, severely deteriorated income distribution, a severe poverty index, budget deficits that can only be corrected with additional taxes, in an import-dependent country with an uncorrectable current account deficit, forex reserves with a negative net value, volatile exchange rates, and a social security system thrown off balance due to the EYT issue, as well as high youth unemployment and limited access to finance for the business world.

“For investment, we need to establish the independence of the judiciary.”
ESİAD Chairman of the Board Sibel Zorlu emphasized the significant role of consumption in the growth of the Turkish economy, stating, "Consumption plays an important role in our growth. Unfortunately, the contribution of investment to growth remains low. For sustainable growth based on investment, production, and exports, we need to evolve from quantitative aspects to qualitative aspects. To increase our competitiveness and gain a larger share of global trade, we must shift to high-value-added production. Another condition is the triple transformation, which we call green, digital, and social transformation. In this context, it is essential to create a science-technology-production-investment ecosystem. To open the way for investments, it is crucial to establish a climate of trust in terms of the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary."

 

Soyer: “Demand democracy wherever you are”

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