"We trust in our country, our state and our nation, and we strongly believe that we will overcome today's difficulties in unity and solidarity," said Adnan Ünverdi, President of Gaziantep Chamber of Industry (GSO), and said that as regional industrialists, their priorities are to respond to the needs of their citizens and to maintain production, export and employment for the continuity of the economy.
Adnan Ünverdi stated that they did not give up their goals and that in order to reach the target, positive discrimination should be made in all areas to support the recovery and development of Gaziantep and the region, which experienced the earthquake, and more effective long-term support and incentives should be given.
Adnan Ünverdi said that while the policy interest rate decreases, the real interest rate should be at reasonable levels and accessible, the exchange rate and high inflation should be kept under control and fluctuations should not be experienced, and underlined that reassuring, long-term, stability-based economic policies will increase investments, increase production, exports and employment, and will always benefit the country.
There was a serious decrease in export figures due to the earthquake
Noting that the exports of Gaziantep, which is Turkey's largest organised industrial zone with the highest employment and a significant contribution to the country's exports, took a big blow from the earthquake, President Ünverdi said, "After the earthquake disaster on 6 February, our city's exports decreased by 42.2 percent, 5.6 percent in March compared to the same month of the previous year, and 15.2 percent in April. Gaziantep is a city that makes more export-oriented production and gives a current account surplus with its exports.
The recovery of our city, which provides the greatest support to our country's development and realises a significant part of the region's exports alone, is of great importance for the region. The support of our state is of critical importance here. Only in this way, we can quickly overcome the problems we have experienced due to the earthquake and maintain our competitive power and maintain our markets."
The destruction caused by the earthquake was not only in buildings and houses
First of all, Ünverdi stated that the region needs support in logistics and supply, new investment areas-infrastructure, export supports, employment and working life, banks and access to finance, tax supports and psychological and sociological support as the main headings and said, "The destruction was not only in our homes and workplaces.
Our people in the region have suffered a mental breakdown and we can rehabilitate and heal ourselves not by waiting but by holding on to our workforce. In order for life to return to its normal flow, we have to fully meet the housing needs of our people and ensure the continuity of production and employment. In this framework, we, as the Chamber, are making our best efforts to heal the wounds of the earthquake, to reorganise the trade and economic activities of the region, and for our personnel to work in safety.
We meet with our companies, listen to their problems and demands and prepare reports. We share the reports we have prepared with the relevant Ministries, institutions and our parent organisation, the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey. In this direction, in order to contribute to the recovery of the regional economy, we invite especially large-scale companies to meet their raw material and semi-finished product supplies from companies in the earthquake zone.
In this process, the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), the marketplaces initiated through the E-Commerce Sector Assembly channel, the earthquake zone manufacturers from the companies for the products to be delivered to the consumer from the application of not receiving commissions for the products to be extended to all companies in the sector and to bring the manufacturers in the region to the forefront is of great importance."
"The departure of blue and white collar qualified employees to different cities after the earthquake caused disruptions in production," said President Ünverdi, "At this point, our people in the region should be encouraged by our state to return to their own city and work as soon as possible, and attractive opportunities should be offered. In this context, we have expressed many times that it would be a useful incentive to return the income tax and insurance premiums deducted from the employees working in the earthquake zone during 2023 and we have conveyed it to the relevant authorities.
Minister of Labour and Social Security Mr. Vedat Bilgin has also stated that the employer's insurance premium will be directly covered by the state and the employer's share will be added to the employee's salary.
We expect the regulation on the subject to be made as soon as possible."
We will carry our industry to the future
Ünverdi stated that it is important to direct the purchasing committees from abroad to the companies in the region and said, "Unfortunately, due to the fire that broke out in Iskenderun Port after the earthquake, we have difficulties in attracting our raw materials because the ships do not dock at the port and we are going through a logistically difficult process due to the density in Mersin Port. We expect the congestion to be resolved for the compensation of our losses and the continuity of our trade.
Directing the purchasing delegations from abroad to our region and bringing them together with the companies through buyer channels will also contribute significantly to the revitalisation of the regional economy and trade." Stating that they will continue to work in line with the targets they have set before, as expected by the public, President Adnan Ünverdi said, "On the one hand, we will heal our wounds, on the other hand, we will carry our industry to the future.
Within the framework of this vision, for a sustainable industry in the coming period, our members and companies need to adapt to advanced technology, realize Industry 4.0 and digitalisation, become more competitive with high added value and green production in accordance with the EU Green Deal criteria, increase the export unit values of our city, reach new markets and increase our share in existing markets, expand investment and employment opportunities with new organised industrial zones are among our priority targets.
Regarding the Amanos Tunnels Project, which will connect Gaziantep and the regional industry to the Iskenderun Port, our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who came to Gaziantep on the Ramadan Feast, said that the construction of the Amanos Tunnels Project will start soon.
This is a project that we have been waiting for years and is integrated with the Polateli-Şahinbey Specialised Organised Industrial Zone, which will be the largest OIZ in Turkey when completed. It will connect our region to Iskenderun Port with 87 kilometres and will offer different advantages with 6th region incentives. In the Polateli-Şahinbey Specialised Organised Industrial Zone, we had allocated 6.5 million square metres of land in the first stage before the earthquake, and we continue our work."
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