Ankara Chamber of Commerce (ATO) Chairman of the Board of Directors Gürsel Baran stated that the Ankara Chamber of Commerce, which celebrates its 100th anniversary, will support domestic, national and value-added production and branding with the works they will continue in the second century, with the works to be carried out in the fair and congress city of the Capital, health tourism. Stating that they will make it the center of the city, he said, “We will leave a mark on our second century with the courage and inspiration we get from our century-old tradition. We will make Ankara the heart of trade with the work we continue.”
Ankara Chamber of Commerce (ATO), which is the same age as the Republic, started with a visit to Anıtkabir together with ATO Chairman Gürsel Baran and ATO Assembly President Mustafa Deryal, the members of the Board of Directors, the Assembly and 100 organs, for which he was authorized to represent Ankara trade. The ATO Delegation headed by Baran and Deryal reached Anıtkabir by passing through Aslanlı Yolu. ATO President Baran signed the Anıtkabir Special Book after laying a wreath on Atatürk's mausoleum. In his Anıtkabir Special Notebook, which he started by saying Aziz Atatürk, Baran said, "We are determined to carry our Ankara Chamber of Commerce to the future by embracing science, technology and innovations, by adding the sweat of our minds to our foreheads, with our 452 years of experience and knowledge that we have blended with the values of the Ahi-Order."
After the Anıtkabir program, the ATO Delegation held the II. Arrived at the Parliament Building.
Speaking at the meeting that started at 1923:19, the year of ATO's establishment, 23, Baran said that, as before, Ankara Chamber of Commerce, in consultation with its members and sectors, supports their development and carries out activities that will remove the obstacles in front of them. He said that they will continue to be the voice of the world. Baran said, "We will leave a mark on our second century with the courage and inspiration we get from our century-old tradition."
“WE WILL PROTECT OUR POLITICAL INDEPENDENCE BY STRENGTHENING OUR ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE”
Stating that Ankara, the city of civil servants, positioned as the administrative center of the state when the Republic was established, left its mark on industry and commerce as a world metropolis, Baran said in his speech at the Izmir Economy Congress, “We need our pens to write the national history of the national era we are in. Referring to his words, “In the first century of our Republic, our ancestors wrote the history of our political independence with their blood and their economic independence with their plows. As we enter the second century of our Republic and Ankara Chamber of Commerce, we will write our new story together as the representatives of the Ankara Chamber of Commerce elected by the votes of 160 thousand members. We will build our centuries-old future with inspiration from our centuries-old tradition. As we did yesterday, we will protect our political independence by strengthening our economic independence. We will continue our duty as a soldier in our second century. We will continue to work for our members, our city and our country.” said.
FINAL CASTLE ANKARA CONTINUES TO EXIST AS THE FIRST CASTLE OF ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE
Noting that Ankara Chamber of Commerce has undertaken the task of being the voice of the real sector and pioneering economic development in its 100-year history, Baran said:
“Since the first day of our Ankara Chamber of Commerce, its members have served as soldiers in Turkey's economic liberation war. Today, as Turkey's second largest chamber of commerce, it continues this duty at the forefront. Thanks to the determination of our members to work, Ankara produces 13 percent of Turkey's Gross Domestic Product and 11 percent of tax revenues with its 150 Organized Industrial Zones, 37 technology development, 10 R&D and 10 Design centers and commercial centers. By exporting from iron and steel to furniture, from grains to optical devices, from UAVs to SİHAs to more than 195 countries in the world, it marks Turkey's fifth place in exports and second in imports. The capital of the country, which had no industry in 1923, today makes more than 60 percent of defense industry exports alone. Ankara, the last bastion of the War of Independence, has existed as the first bastion of economic independence for a century. In the first century of our republic, our ancestors wrote the history of our political independence with their blood and our economic independence with their plow. As we enter the second century of our Republic and Ankara Chamber of Commerce, we will write our new story together, as the representatives of the Ankara Chamber of Commerce elected by the votes of 160 thousand members.
We will build our Centennial Future with inspiration from our Centennial Tradition. As we did yesterday, we will protect our political independence by strengthening our economic independence. We will continue our duty as a soldier in our second century. We will continue to work for our members, our city and our country. We will work with the aim of making Ankara an important center in road, rail and air transportation, located in the middle of Turkey, on the Iron Silk Road stretching from Beijing to London.
In order for our capital, which is the center of High Speed Train with Eskişehir, Istanbul, Konya and Sivas lines, to maintain its quality as Anatolia's gateway to the world, we will not let go of the issue of international flights. We will work to make our city, where the Logistics Base, which is the only example of Turkey with its integrated structure, is located, a logistics center at national and international level.
We will strive to make Ankara a world brand in medical, thermal and elderly tourism, with hospitals equipped with advanced technology devices, hospitals with the highest quality trained physicians, and the best quality thermal resources. We will work to make our Capital, which is on the flavor map of our country with its thousands of years of history and deep-rooted and original culinary traditions, become a Gastronomy Center. We will develop projects with the aim of becoming a fair and congress city.
We will support domestic and national production, value-added production and branding. We will ensure that the brands from our city and our geographically marked products take place in the world markets. By contributing to the development of e-commerce and e-exports with our trainings and supports, we will accelerate the development of Ankara in trade and exports.
We will produce new ideas and projects by working closely with universities, developing real sector-university cooperation.”
WE WILL TURN ANKARA INTO THE HEART OF TRADE
Baran continued his speech stating that they would follow the development of science and technology in accordance with the requirements of the age and contribute to the development of trade and enrich the entrepreneurial ecosystem of technologies such as artificial intelligence:
“We will make Ankara the center of creative industries. We will support women and youth entrepreneurship. Recognizing the value of water and soil, taking into account the effects of climate change, we will support green transformation and circular economy.
We will ensure that the capital Ankara is the voice of the business world by constantly consulting with our members and sectors, supporting their development and carrying out activities that will remove the obstacles in front of them. Together with our 268 committee members, 192 council members and our board of directors, we will leave a mark on our second century with the encouragement and inspiration we draw from our Hundred Years of Tradition. We will protect the trust of our ancestors, who chose courage instead of captivity, with the same courage. We will make Ankara the heart of commerce with the works we continue with the responsibility of Capital.”
DRYAL: “WE WILL WORK TO ACHIEVE OUR GOALS AND CONTRIBUTE TO OUR COUNTRY”
In his speech, ATO Assembly President Mustafa Deryal emphasized the importance of the ATO's task with 160 thousand members as the Republic of Turkey enters its second century. Deryal said, “As the owner of the responsibility taken over for economic independence under the leadership of our Ankara Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Gürsel Baran, Chairman of the Board of Directors, you will work to achieve the goals of our Chamber and contribute to our country. Throughout the century, we have meticulously turned into our traditions, all of our experiences, our good and bad memories, the differences that make up our Republic, knowing the richness of it. We now take on the task of preserving these inherited traditions and harmonizing them with the new realities of the world in order to improve the future. While I embrace this task as a trader from Ankara, I entrust you, the Ankara trader, who are the civilian soldiers of our economic independence, as the President of the ATO Assembly.
After the speeches of Baran and Deryal, a theatrical performance was held in which the political and economic environment of 1923, when the Republic was proclaimed, was explained. The program ended after the ATO Assembly and Committee Members took a family photo.
ATO Vice Chairman of the Board Temel Aktay and Halil İbrahim Yılmaz, ATO Board Members Adem Ali Yılmaz, Halil İlik, Naki Demir, Nihat Uysallı, Ömer Çağlar Yılmaz and Yasin Özyolu also attended the program.