TÜRKÇİMENTO reacted when the World Cement Union Meeting, which was planned to be held in Turkey but could not be realized, was announced as the reason for the cancellation of “Turkish economy entering turbulence due to the elections”. Fatih Yücelik, TÜRKÇİMENTO Board Chairman, stated that it is unacceptable to reflect the failure in commercial activities on the Turkish economy and said, “As TÜRKÇİMENTO, we strongly disagree with the reason for the cancellation.”
Yücelik expressed the following views in his statement: “The Turkish cement industry, which proved itself once again to the world supply chain with quality and fulfilling its commitments during and after the pandemic process, and ranked 5th in the world in both production and exports, has gained its power and reputation on a global scale by fulfilling its promises in the first place, no matter what. Fulfilling this consistency in every area of the sector, our industry has become the focus of all segments related to the sector and hosts important organizations where stakeholders in this field come together not only locally but also internationally.
As a matter of fact, the International Technical Seminar and Exhibition events, which we have been organizing every two years since 1987 as TÜRKÇİMENTO, provide visitors from all over the world with the opportunity to exchange information about global development and change in the sector. In addition, by strengthening the communication and social networks of stakeholders within the sector, it also increases the opportunities for commercial cooperation.
The success of this event increases the global appetite for organizing such events in our country. However, we regret to observe that the failures of such commercial events, which have recently increased in our country, have been reflected differently to the public. In this regard, it has become necessary to make a statement on an issue that should not be on the agenda at all. As a matter of fact, the World Cement Association, which claims to represent the cement industry in the world, has announced that the World Cement Conference, which was planned to be held in Istanbul, has been postponed.
The reason for turbulence…
The aforementioned organization, which has made postponements in the past, is now using the developments in our country as an excuse, and in their own words, claims; “The political situation resulting from the outcome of the elections in Turkey will cause an economic turbulence, the Turkish Lira will depreciate against the Foreign Exchange, which causes concern among the conference organizers and participants; therefore, the conference to be held in Istanbul has been postponed in order to enable the participants to attend the conference in a peaceful and stable environment”. While using these expressions, they invite me to the conference to be held in Dubai to make an opening speech on behalf of TÜRKÇİMENTO, Turkish Cement Manufacturers Association, of which I am the Chairman.
With the re-election of our President on May 28, 2023, which was held with a high participation rate that is rare in world democracies, the positive congratulatory messages from all world leaders should be taken into consideration. As our country’s economy enters into a promising period, we are confident that we will experience positive developments in the coming period. Reflecting the failure
of commercial activities on the Turkish economy is unacceptable As TÜRKÇİMENTO, we strongly disagree with the reason for the cancellation. Describing the results of the democratic elections in Turkiye as an economic and political turbulence and making preconceived notions about exchange rates based on an unrealized scenario is not only regrettable for an organization that claims to represent the world cement industry, but also creates a worrying situation for us, the Turkish cement industrialists, about this organization.
Following these statements, it is obvious that we will not be able to participate in the conference they will organize in Dubai. As long as there is no statement from the highest level representatives of this organization, whose mission and duty should only be the development of the world cement industry, to refute their statements regarding the domestic politics and economic situation of our country, it will not be possible for us to maintain our relations with this organization.”
