A NEW ERA OF BUSINESS DIPLOMACY BEGINS AT DEİK

The Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK) held the 2025 Elected Ordinary General Assemblies of the Business Councils and the 7th Business Diplomacy Awards Ceremony in Istanbul. A total of 151 Country-Based, Sectoral, and Special Purpose Business Councils operating under DEİK elected their Chairs and Executive Board members for the 2025– 2027 term during simultaneous general assemblies held on the same day.

Following the general assemblies, the DEİK 7th Business Diplomacy Awards Ceremony was held with the participation of Turkish Minister of Trade Prof. Dr. Ömer Bolat, DEİK President Nail Olpak, DEİK Board of Directors members, Business Council Chairs, and diplomatic mission representatives. At the ceremony, a total of 14 awards were presented in seven categories: “Resource Development,” “Member Relations,” “Media Visibility,” “Networking,” “Women’s Vision,” “Diaspora,” and “Outstanding Performance,” as part of the DEİK Business Councils’ activities for 2025.

WITH DEİK’S 153 BUSINESS COUNCILS TO MAKE TÜRKIYE A GLOBAL BRAND”

Recalling that DEİK has entered its 41st year, Minister of Trade Prof. Dr. Ömer Bolat emphasized that DEİK brings together the umbrella organizations of the Turkish business world and is the outward-facing face of the private sector. Congratulating the newly elected Business Council Chairs and their administrations, Bolat said:

“We carry out our trade diplomacy activities in the field of foreign trade together with DEİK. As the Ministry of Trade, we have 235 Trade Advisors and Attaches working in 170 centers in 115 countries, serving our business world 24/7. With this extensive diplomatic network and DEİK’s 153 Business Councils, we are working tirelessly to make Türkiye a global brand.” Bolat noted that the business forums and roundtable meetings organized with DEİK are important supporters of trade diplomacy, adding that in 2025, the 17th Türkiye Investment Conference and the 5th Türkiye-Africa Business and Economic Forum (TABEF) were successfully held in 2025, and that strong global ties with the diaspora were established through the World Turkish Business Council (DTİK).

OLPAK: “DEMAND FOR DEİK IS INCREASING; THIS FAMILY IS GROWING BY DOING THE RIGHT THINGS.” DEİK President Nail Olpak stated that the Business Councils operate on a voluntary basis and that the number of members increases every term. Olpak stated that the 2025 election process was completed competitively and courteously, sharing the following information:

“When we compare the last three election periods, the number of Business Councils participating in the election rose from 134 to 151, candidate applications from 156 to 204, and membership from 3,234 to 6,062. This picture clearly shows the interest in DEİK and that the work being done is paying off.” Olpak noted that as a result of the elections, 78 Business Council Chairs changed, 48 members were elected to the presidency for the first time, and 15 female Business Council Chairs strengthened business diplomacy. He also wished success to the 73 chairs who continued in their positions.

OLPAK: “WE HAVE IDENTIFIED 33 COUNTRIES AS PRIORITY FOCUS AREAS”

Stating that DEİK has set its medium and long-term foreign economic goals in line with global transformations and Türkiye’s strategic vision, Olpak said:

“We have identified the 33 countries with the highest level of commercial and economic integration with Türkiye as priority focus areas. The Business Council Chairs and Executive Boards operating in these countries will take on a stronger responsibility for strategy development, project development, and concrete results beyond representation.” Emphasizing that the work carried out in this context will be closely monitored by the DEİK Board of Directors in terms of the targets set and the outputs achieved, Olpak congratulated the Business Councils that won the Business Diplomacy Awards.

THE BEST IN BUSINESS DIPLOMACY RECEIVES AWARDS

The 7th DEİK Business Diplomacy Awards Ceremony, held on January 17, 2026, crowned the performance of the Business Councils in 2025. A total of 14 awards in 7 categories were presented by Minister of Trade Prof. Dr. Ömer Bolat and DEİK President Nail Olpak.

In the Resource Development category, the DEİK/Türkiye-Germany Business Council and the DEİK/Türkiye- Canada Business Council were deemed worthy of the award.

In the Member Relations category, the DEİK/Türkiye-United Arab Emirates Business Council and the DEİK/Türkiye-Mali Business Council were deemed worthy of the award.

In the Media Visibility category, DEİK/Türkiye-Iraq Business Council and DEİK/Türkiye-Mongolia Business Council were deemed worthy of the award. n In the Networking category, DEİK/Türkiye-Japan Business Council and DEİK/Türkiye-Central America and Caribbean Business Council were deemed worthy of the award.

In the Women’s Vision category, DEİK/Türkiye-Africa Business Councils and DEİK/Türkiye-Bahrain Business Council were deemed worthy of the award.

In the Diaspora category, DEİK/ Türkiye-Uzbekistan Business Council and DEİK/Türkiye-Malaysia Business Council were deemed worthy of the award.

In the Outstanding Performance category, DEİK/ Türkiye-US Business Council (TAİK) and DEİK/Türkiye- Bulgaria Business Council were deemed worthy of the award.