TEPAV/SAK: “Arab Countries Must Examine Turkey’s Reform Experience Thoroughly” The EUROCHAMBRES Joint Members Committee Meeting started in Belek, Antalya.
ANTALYA-TEPAV Director Prof. Güven Sak stated that Arab countries that are going through a radical transformation process must thoroughly examine Turkey's reform experience.
The Association of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry (EUROCHAMBRES) Joint Member Committee Meeting started in Belek, Antalya. The meeting was attended by EUROCHAMBRES President Alessandro Barberis, Vice President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, Vice President Pierre Gramegna, Deputy President Andrezej Arendarski; and representatives of the Union Chambers of Albania, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Georgia, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, the Russian Federation and Ukraine.
In the meeting, a panel titled "EU Neighborhood Policy and What Is Happening in the Middle East?" was held. Prof. Güven Sak, Director of the Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV); Margaritis Schinas, Deputy President of the Bureau of European Policy Advisors, European Commission; and Mustafa El Labbad, Director of the Cairo-based Al Sharq Centre For Regional and Strategic Studies, participated in the panel meeting.
Sak made a presentation titled, "Salient Features of Turkey's Journey: What Is There to Learn?" He stated that thanks to the reform process that was initiated in the 1980s and accelerated after 2001, Turkey has become the most important economy in the region. Stressing that relations with the EU have been of critical importance for Turkey's progress in the last fifteen years, he drew attention to the role of the Customs Union in Turkey's becoming a significant actor in the global economy and the role of the Copenhagen Criteria in advancing democracy in the country. He added:
"Despite these, Turkey has a long way to go to catch up with developed countries in terms of per capita income. Over the last three decades, Turkey has failed to close the income gap with developed countries. South Korea, which had the same per-capita income as Turkey in the 1980s, ensured rapid growth while Turkey made no headway. In order to improve the conversion performance, Turkey has to undertake critical structural reforms. There is a lot to do in many areas, from public administration to the tax system, judiciary and education."
Sak stressed that Arab countries that are going through a radical transformation process must thoroughly examine Turkey's reform experience and added: "At the center of the development policies the restructuring Arab countries are to implement must be strengthening the institutional infrastructure of the economy. This will pave the way for foreign capital inflows."
Delivering an opening speech, M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, President of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) and EUROCHAMBRES Deputy President, stated that Turkey has performed impressively during the global economic crisis, stressing that despite the economy contracting by 4.8 percent in 2009, the country achieved 8.9 percent growth in 2010 and has overcome the crisis. He added:
"This crisis has been, in a sense, a stress-test for our institutional structure. However, our governmental institutions, banks and companies have passed this test successfully. The Turkish private sector has proved that it can adapt to harsh conditions. The growth performance is still going strong in 2011. Turkey has broken a record, with 11 percent growth in the first quarter of 2011."
The EUROCHAMBRES Joint Member Committee Meeting will continue in Cappadoccia on the 8th and 9th of September.
