A delegation of senior MÜSİAD officials, headed by the president, Ömer Cihad Vardan, paid a visit to TÜSİAD headquarters yesterday morning to congratulate the newly elected board. Speaking to reporters ahead of the meeting, which was closed to the press, TÜSİAD Chairwoman Ümit Boyner said it was very kind of MÜSİAD to visit them and thanked the union. “Today we will have an opportunity to discuss the possible joint steps that we could take in an attempt to contribute to the solution of certain problems in the Turkish economy following the global financial turbulence last year,” she explained.Also sharing his views with reporters, Vardan said they expected to seek ways to improve relations between the two unions and discuss joint projects aimed at easing the troubles faced by markets.
MÜSİAD’s visit to TÜSİAD was the first since the former was established 20 years ago. Observers said this was a breakthrough for the normalization of relations between the seemingly “distant” civil society organizations and signaled the development of a common aim of promoting democratization. For a long time, TÜSİAD faced harsh criticism and was accused of been extremely elitist and turning its back on the rest of society, specifically, on companies based in Anatolia. Known for her liberal and democratic stance, Boyner, who succeeded Arzuhan Doğan Yalçındağ as chairperson of TÜSİAD in January, is expected to bring about a change in this perception.
Meanwhile, when asked about the government’s recently announced fiscal rule for budgetary performance, Boyner said this was a “very important and valuable” development. “I think this is a positive step by the government during an era when the Turkish economy is recovering fast from crisis. The plan is realistic; it will serve as a prominent anchor in the absence of the International Monetary Fund [IMF]. It will also make it easier for the markets to see the future,” she said.
TÜSİAD is expected to participate in the Greek-Turkish Business Forum in the Greek capital of Athens on May 14-15, organized jointly by the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK) and the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEV).
