On 30 May 2014, members of the IKV’s Board of Directors met with his Excellency Pablo Benavides Orgaz, Consul General of Spain in Istanbul; his Excellency Leigh Turner, Consul General of the United Kingdom in Istanbul; and his Excellency Jens Odlander, Consul General of Sweden in Istanbul.

The IKV delegation was comprised of the President of the Board of Directors, Ömer Cihad Vardan, Vice-Presidents Prof. Halûk Kabaalioğlu and Zeynep Bodur Okyay; Board Member Mr. Yavuz Canevi, IKV Secretary-General Assoc. Prof. Çiğdem Nas and Şevket Can Tülümen, Advisor to the Board of Directors.

During the meetings, IKV President Ömer Cihad Vardan briefed the Consuls General a

bout the history and activities of the IKV. He indicated that IKV, which was founded by the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO) and Istanbul Chamber of Industry (ISO) in 1965, is being supported by numerous business organizations today, notably by the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges in Turkey (TOBB). Vardan stated that the main objectives of the IKV are to contribute to Turkey’s EU accession process and to provide information and opinions regarding Turkey-EU relations. He presented the Consuls-General with a package containing the latest reports and publications published by the foundation and a ceramic plate bearing the IKV logo.

During the meetings, Consuls General expressed their ideas and impressions about Turkey’s accession to the EU and indicated their full support for Turkey’s of EU membership. Possibilities for mutual cooperation were also explored during the meetings, which took place in a warm and constructive atmosphere.