5TH DEIK BUSINESS DIPLOMACY AWARDS WERE RECEIVED

The Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK) held the 2023 Elective Ordinary General Assembly of Business Councils and the Business Diplomacy Award Ceremony in Istanbul on January 20, 2024, hosted by DEİK President Nail Olpak

The Elective General Assembly of 151 Business Councils, operating under the umbrella of DEİK as “Country Based Business Councils’, ‘Sectoral Business Councils’, and ‘Special Purpose Business Councils’, was held simultaneously on the same day and the new term Chairpersons and Executive Board Members of DEİK Business Councils were elected.

At the 5th DEİK Business Diplomacy Awards Ceremony, graced by the presence of Turkish Minister of Trade Prof. Dr Ömer Bolat, DEİK President Nail Olpak, DEİK Board Members, DEİK Business Council Chairpersons, and diplomatic mission representatives, the pinnacle of business diplomacy was celebrated. Following the 2023 Elective Ordinary General Assemblies of DEİK Business Councils, 12 awards were bestowed across 6 categories, honouring outstanding achievements in “Resource Development”, “Member Relations”, “Media Visibility”, “Networking”, “Diaspora”, and “Outstanding Performance” throughout 2023.

MINISTER BOLAT: “DEİK IS EFFECTIVELY FULFILLING ITS RESPONSIBILITIES”

Stating that they have succeeded in reaching promising figures in the economic field in 2023 with the intensive efforts of DEİK family, private sector organizations, business people and public institutions within the framework of the Century of Türkye project, Prof. Dr. Ömer Bolat, Minister of the Republic of Türkiye said: “As Türkiye, we keenly experience the adverse impacts of global geopolitical tensions, trade contractions, a significant inflation surge, and the resultant economic slowdown, particularly in our foreign markets. Despite challenges, Türkiye’s exports surged by 5.9 per cent in the third quarter of 2023, maintaining an average growth of 4.7 per cent over nine months. Over the past 13 quarters, the Turkish economy has shown uninterrupted growth. Looking ahead to mid-2024 and the latter half of the year, we anticipate a more dynamic economic landscape and increased global trade activity. In this regard, DEİK stands as a source of pride for us, boasting unparalleled communication capabilities through its network of business council platforms established with counterpart organizations across nearly every country worldwide. DEİK consistently fulfils its responsibilities with remarkable success.”

OLPAK: “46 DEİK MEMBERS WERE ELECTED AS BUSINESS COUNCIL CHAIRPERSONS FOR THE FIRST TIME”

Highlighting that DEİK will maintain its business diplomacy activities with a dynamism that keeps its corporate memory alive while renewing itself, DEİK President Nail Olpak shared his opinions, saying: “As a result of the elections, 46 DEİK members became the Chairperson of a Business Council for the first time. 22 of our Chairpersons left their duties in line with the 3rd term rule. 66 of our Chairpersons were re-elected to their duties and we have 11 women chairpersons. This rate of change and the balanced continuity that preserves institutional memory contribute to the excellent dynamism of DEİK. As DEİK, we have distinct objectives and extensive agendas for each region this year as part of our country’s business diplomacy endeavours.”

OLPAK: “WE WILL MAINTAIN OUR BUSINESS DIPLOMACY ACTIVITIES THROUGH OUR BUSINESS COUNCILS”

Stating that the process of interest rate increases is approaching its conclusion due to the downward trend of global inflation, DEİK President Nail Olpak said, “Global growth is anticipated to reach 3 per cent in 2023 and slightly dip below 3 per cent in 2024. The downward trend in global inflation has led to expectations that the process of interest rate hikes is approaching its conclusion. It is likely that global financial conditions will ease somewhat. As Türkiye, we have set our growth target for 2024 at 4 per cent. Despite challenging conditions, we surpassed our 2023 export target and reached USD 255.8 billion. Alongside our service exports, we have set a target of USD 375 billion for this year. In this context, our expectation from each of our Business Councils, in addition to our priority of increasing exports, is to take tangible steps to enhance our relations with the respective country and sector, ensuring numerical advantages in all of our foreign economic relations, and making a tangible contribution to this goal. In our DEİK family, alongside our Business Councils, we remain committed to serving Türkiye through our global business diplomacy activities, bridging our country with the world.”