WE ARE STEADILY PROGRESSING TOWARD OUR GOALS WITH THE DEİK CARAVAN

We have a proverb related to not setting goals, not analyzing the current situation, and not planning: “We’ll adjust as we move forward.” This proverb, with a slightly misguided perception, may seem to symbolize and even encourage a lack of planning and negligence, but the reality is quite different.

Caravans were formed by groups of people coming together for journeys along long and dangerous roads. Although they may have seemed chaotic and disorganized at first, problems were solved through cooperation and teamwork along the way, and no one was left behind, even if the road was long and the destination was reached.

This is the most fundamental characteristic of caravan culture. Caravans carry different loads, travel at different speeds, but move together in the same direction. Along the way, there is solidarity, coordination, and mutual trust. I liken our DEİK Business Councils, which operate worldwide today, to these caravans. Each one works in different countries and different sectors, but they all focus on the same goal: strengthening our country’s Business Diplomacy.

Our Business Councils embody this caravan culture in the field. They take risks in challenging markets, build long-term relationships, and continue on their path with steadfastness and determination.

with steadfastness and determination. At the same time, as DEİK, which I refer to as the Polaris of our business world, we have been operating for 41 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 to the outside world for the Turkish private sector, we continue our work on a voluntary basis with our Business Councils, Counterparts, Founding Organizations, Corporate Members, and colleagues.

As the DEİK caravan, we made a fast start to the new year. We held our 7th Business Diplomacy Awards Ceremony in Istanbul, along with the 2025 Elected Ordinary General Assemblies of the Business Councils. Under the umbrella of DEİK, the 151 Business Councils, operating as ‘Country- Based Business Councils’ and ‘Special Purpose Business Councils’, held their Elective Ordinary General Assembly simultaneously on the same day. ‘Sectoral Business Councils’, and ‘Special Purpose Business Councils’ operating under the DEİK umbrella, the Elective Ordinary General Assembly of 151 Business Councils was held simultaneously on the same day, and the new term Chairs and Executive Board Members of DEİK Business Councils for the years 2025- 2027 were elected.

We see that this wonderful family is growing with significant dynamism every year. When we analyze the last three elections, the number of Business Councils participating in the election rose from 134 to 151, the number of candidate applications rose from 156 to 204, and the number of members rose from 3,234 to 6,062. This means that demand for this wonderful family is increasing, which means that this wonderful family is doing the right things because the numbers tell us so. As a result of the elections in which 151 Business Council Chairs were elected, 78 of our Business Council Chairs changed. In this change, 48 of our members became Business Council Chairs for the first time. In other words, 30 percent of our members became Business Council Chairs for the first time. 73 of our Business Council Chairs were re-elected to their positions. Our 15 female Business Council Chairs will also add strength to our business diplomacy.

Uncertainties surrounding global trade continue to grow. With our renewed and revitalized business councils, our Business Diplomacy activities have become even more important during this challenging period. In this context, we present our Business Diplomacy magazine, titled “2026: New Parameters of Global Trade.”

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