'Businesses want stability, peace and the rule of law' - Turkish business association leader

'Businesses want stability, peace and the rule of law' - Turkish business association leader
By Euronews
Share this articleComments
Share this articleClose Button
Copy/paste the article video embed link below:Copy to clipboardCopied
ADVERTISEMENT

Euronews met Nail Olpak, the chairman of MUSIAD, a leading Turkish business association, ahead of the G20 Summit in Turkey.

Bora Bayraktar, euronews: “What do you see in the future for the world’s economy?”

Nail Olpak, President of MUSIAD Business Association: “As a Turkish association, there are three main areas of importance for us at the G20. They are sustainability, inclusiveness and inclusion.”

“By inclusiveness we mean dealing with the problems and issues of the entire world and not just focusing on those of G20 countries.”

“Turkey initiated the formation of the W20, which promotes gender inclusiveness and equality. Within the W20, small and medium sized businesses are being strengthened. SMEs can be from any country across the globe. The idea has been to include them in action groups. In fact, MUSIAD put that idea forward and we’re delighted that it was accepted.”

“The second area of importance has been the opening of a centre of entrepreneurship for SMEs in Istanbul. It is supported by the OECD and the World Bank.”

“The third issue for us is the inclusion of SMEs in each area of the G20. So for example, financial issues for SMEs will be discussed as will investments.”

euronews: “What do you expect the G20 summit to achieve and in particular what will come out of it for SMEs?”

Nail Olpak: “Every country and group will be presenting what they want from the summit. But it’s not going to be possible to achieve everything. Inclusiveness is high on the agenda for us. The most important outcome is to achieve what we want. If we manage that, then our issues won’t end up being ignored or forgotten about in the future. With regard to sustainability and inclusion, it’s more about making decisions. Those will be the most important outcomes of the summit.”

euronews: “Do you believe Turkey will receive higher levels of investment following the summit? Will there be an impact on the economy?”

Nail Olpak: “Turkey has been through a very turbulent time over the past ten months. There have been political issues and an increase in terrorism. Investment in Turkey in this time has been the same as 2014. That’s been ignored. There’s a general perception that foreign investment has come to a halt over the past ten months. With further investment in November and December it will exceed the figures for last year. There won’t be elections in the next four years so there won’t be elections but there will be political issues. This equals stability. What does the business world prefer?Businesses want stability, peace and the rule of law. If we have these elements then we will see further investment.”

Share this articleComments

You might also like

G20 Summit: Syrian civil war and refugee crisis high on agenda

Local elections in Turkey are about to deliver yet another political thriller

Nine workers at a gold mine missing in Turkey after a landslide