Continuing Our Journey with the Maturity We Have Achieved in Our 40th Year

After DEİK’s forty-year journey, I observe that it has now reached sufficient maturity to carry out business diplomacy activities and that its perception in our country and around the world has increased accordingly

As DEIK, the North Star of our business world, we have been operating for 40 years with our 153 Business Councils spread across the globe, working to increase cross-border investment and trade without using public funds, guided by our motto of “Business Diplomacy.” As the window of the Turkish private sector to the outside world, we continue our work on a voluntary basis with our Business Councils, Counterparts, Founding Organizations, Corporate Members, and colleagues.

Since ancient times, the number forty has been considered sacred and auspicious in different civilizations across different geographical regions. It has been present in beliefs and traditions, mythology, legends, and epics, and heavenly religions. This number is one of the most common motifs in Turkish epics and fairy tales, and is also used in many proverbs, idioms, and expressions in everyday Turkish, such as “kırkı çıkmak” (to reach forty), “kırk kapının ipini çekmek” (to pull the string of forty doors), and “bir kahvenin kırk yıl hatırı vardır” (a cup of coffee is remembered for forty years).

The number forty is also associated with spiritual maturity. The fact that fruits ripen in forty days, that the Prophet was given prophethood at the age of forty, and the forty-day retreat period in Sufism are all related to this. After DEIK’s forty-year journey, I observe that it has now reached sufficient maturity to carry out its Business Diplomacy activities and that its perception in our country and around the world has increased accordingly. This year, which has special meaning for us, I believe that we will continue on our path in a more mature and experienced way in every respect.

As we enter our second 40 years, we have more effective and qualified roadmaps that we started in our US and German business councils and will spread to our other business councils.

First in our 10 Business Councils and then in our 20 Business Councils, we will make our mark on the new era with our lobbying efforts, the results of which are demonstrated through measurable and impact analyses. With our infrastructure that provides an instant flow of up-to-date information, our approach that focuses on offering solutions to problems and creating opportunities in a timely manner, we will set sail for new horizons…

We will shed light on the dizzying developments taking place in the world, with unconventional work in areas such as global competition, green and digital transformation, sustainability, and inclusive growth…

Since 2020, with the onset of COVID-19, we have witnessed developments that have profoundly affected the global economy. Starting with disruptions in the supply chain and continuing with the Russia-Ukraine war and supply security in the energy and food sectors, we have once again understood the risks of dependence on a single source, as well as the importance of logistics, along with the hot wars in the Middle East and increasing geopolitical risks. While the Environment-Centric Economy was on the agenda, we experienced processes in which nuclear energy was also declared a green energy source, which I refer to as the Green Economy in terms of the area it covers and its objectives. With green transformation on our agenda, we have also added digital transformation to our agenda, thanks to rapidly developing artificial intelligence technologies, which I also refer to as the Digital Economy due to the scope and objectives it encompasses. On the other hand, as of this year, we have all witnessed the rise of protectionism, along with the customs and trade wars between the US and China.

We are closely monitoring all developments, considering the risks and potential opportunities they may bring, and striving to position our country in the best possible way.

In this special 40th anniversary issue of our magazine, our Minister of Trade, Prof. Dr. Ömer Bolat, added value to our issue by sharing his assessments on Türkiye’s foreign trade vision. Our Minister of Family and Social Services, Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş, conveyed the reflections of the family institution in the business world, while our Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, highlighted the effects of developments in logistics and transportation on our foreign economic relations. Our Minister of Treasury and Finance, Mehmet Şimşek, evaluated Türkiye’s financial strategies in light of global economic balances.

Former DEIK presidents Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu and Ömer Cihad Vardan contributed to our special issue with their insights, refreshing our 40-year institutional memory. Our leading economic writers shared their perspectives on international trade and the global economy, adding a different perspective to our issue. In addition, members of the DEIK Management and Executive Board contributed to this special issue with both their institutional experience and their vision for the future.

I hope you enjoy reading it.