The 61^st General Assembly of IKV was held in İstanbul on 10 August 2023 with the participation of the presidents of the Foundation’s Founding and Trustee Institutions, representatives of Supporting Organisations and delegates. İstanbul Chamber of Industry President Erdal Bahçıvan served as the Chairperson of the General Assembly, while Kocaeli Chamber of Industry (KCI) Assembly President Hasan Tahsin Tuğrul served as Vice President and IKV Secretary General Assoc. Prof. Çiğdem Nas served as clerk. The opening speeches of the General Assembly were delivered by the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB) Vice President and İstanbul Chamber of Commerce (ICOC) President Şekib Avdagiç, İstanbul Chamber of Industry (ICI) President Erdal Bahçıvan, and IKV Chairperson Ayhan Zeytinoğlu.

In his speech, Chairperson Zeytinoğlu stated that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s recent statements on Türkiye’s EU membership raised hopes for the future of relations. Underlining that there are also important obstacles to the process, Zeytinoğlu stated that Türkiye is an important supplier for the EU and an important partner in areas such as security, migration and energy. In this direction, Zeytinoğlu emphasised that Türkiye’s main priorities are to revitalise the accession process, update the Customs Union and make progress on issues such as visa liberalisation.

Zeytinoğlu stated that at the meeting of the European Council held on 29-30 June 2023, it was decided to prepare a report on the future of Türkiye-EU relations and that the business world and civil society have written a letter addressed to Olivér Várhelyi, the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Policy, and Josep Borrell, the High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, who are responsible for preparing this report. Zeytinoğlu emphasised that it is very important to underline the commitment to this goal, especially in an environment where alternatives that could replace the accession process are being put forward. President Zeytinoğlu also stated that IKV will continue its contacts in Brussels during the preparation of the relevant report.

TOBB Vice President and ICOC President Şekib Avdagiç said that the history of IKV follows a parallel process with the history of the EU and that IKV is a window to the EU business world. Stating that IKV has been and continues to be an EU school, library and teacher for the business world, Avdagiç emphasised that TOBB has contributed and will continue to contribute to the activities of IKV. Stating that economic activities have also gained a certain momentum thanks to the Customs Union, Avdagiç underlined that the Customs Union continues to serve as a strong bond between Türkiye and the EU, but it should be updated and its scope should be expanded in accordance with todays conditions. Stating that green and digital transformation is also an important issue to strengthen Türkiye-EU relations, Avdagiç stated that there is a favourable environment for the development of relations in this period.

ICI President Erdal Bahçıvan stated that Türkiye exported $103 billion worth of goods to the EU, with which we reached a trade volume of $200 billion last year, and that this amount corresponds to 40% of our countrys total exports. Underlining the need to update the Customs Union, Bahçıvan emphasised that this would make a significant contribution to both the Turkish and EU economies. Bahçıvan stated that Türkiye should be included in the EU FTA negotiations simultaneously in order to compete on equal terms.

Following the opening speeches, IKV’s activity and financial reports for 2022 as well as the audit reports were released, while the 2023 work programme and budget instruction were unanimously approved. Finally, IKV Chairperson Ayhan Zeytinoğlu conveyed his thanks on behalf of the IKV Board of Directors and concluded the meeting.

The newly elected IKV Board of Directors include Ayhan Zeytinoğlu, Prof. Dr. Halûk Kabaalioğlu, Sedat Zincirkıran, Dr. Zeynel Abidin Erdem, Bedii Can Yücaoğlu, Hakan Sefa Çakır, Murat Hazıroğlu, Ömer Gülsoy, Fatih Çapraz, Hakkı İsmet Aral, Şadan Eren, Ali Sami Aydın, Yavuz Altun, Ersin Kenan Kayalar, Ercan Özboyacı, Mustafa Şenocak and Akansel Koç. Abdurrahman Aslantaş and Mustafa Zeytin were elected to serve in the Audit Committee.