Ambassadors from ASEAN countries held meetings in OSTİM as part of a program organized by the Ankara Development Agency. The delegation, accompanied by Ankara Deputy Governor Süleyman Hürrem Aksoy, received information about OSTİM's activities. The work of the 7 sectoral clusters operating in the region was presented, and the potential for increasing trade volume between ASEAN countries and Türkiye was explained.
The program was attended by the Ambassadors of Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, the Republic of the Philippines, the Republic of Singapore, the Kingdom of Thailand, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the Deputy Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia, Ankara Deputy Governor Süleyman Hurrem Aksoy, OSTİM Board Chairman Orhan Aydın, Ankara Development Agency General Secretary Arif Şayık, and representatives of OSTİM Clusters.
Asian mission chiefs discussed the investment environment and cooperation opportunities in their countries. Pointing to the ASEAN countries' population exceeding 600 million, the Ambassadors highlighted the synergy that would arise from cooperation with Turkey.
Ankara Deputy Governor Süleyman Hurrem Aksoy emphasized that communication is the beginning of commercial relations. Aksoy said, “You are the officials who establish this communication. We have a developing geography like Eurasia right next to us, and we are not strangers to this geography. We can diversify our collaborations.”
“Our Attention is Towards Asia”
OSTİM Board Chairman Orhan Aydın drew attention to Asia's population and economic potential. Stating that they are aware of the shift in technology and trade towards Asia, Aydın said, “Relations with Asia are very important. Our attention and direction are towards Asia. We are aware of Asia. We have had contacts with Indonesia and Malaysia within the scope of the D8. We are making efforts to develop our relations.”
Giving examples of ongoing collaborations with regional countries, Orhan Aydın pointed out that Hidromek, a member of the OSTİM Business and Construction Machinery Cluster (İŞİM), has a factory in Thailand, and said that commercial relations are developing. Aydın noted the following: “The metro trains of Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, were produced in Ankara by Bozankaya, a member of our Anatolian Rail Transportation Systems Cluster (ARUS). We also met with Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang at the delivery ceremony of the metro trains.”
Thai Ambassador Phantipha Iamsudha Ekarohit emphasized that Turkey is also a part of Asia. Ekarohit stated, “We want to develop our relations and cooperation. We invite businesspeople to promote our country.”
ASEAN in brief: The ASEAN Organization was founded on a five-point declaration signed by the Foreign Ministers of Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand in Bangkok on August 8, 1967. This declaration defined ASEAN's founding objectives as achieving cooperation in economic, social, cultural, technical, educational, and other fields, and ensuring regional peace and stability within the framework of respect for justice, the rule of law, and the principles of the United Nations.
Turkey decided to develop institutional relations with ASEAN in 1999. Within this framework, it declared its intention to become a dialogue or sectoral dialogue partner. Our country became a party to the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation (ASEAN/TAC), the first step in developing institutional relations with ASEAN, during the 43rd ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Vietnam from July 19-23, 2010. (Source: www.mfa.gov.tr)
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