As we welcome a new year...

Days, weeks and months pass quickly. Here we said goodbye to another year. I can happily say that we, as the Istanbul Chamber of Industry, have completed another very busy period in line with the targets in our work program.

It is possible to emphasize that the synergy we have achieved with the understanding of unity and solidarity, and the common excitement we have created, have further reinforced our chamber's characteristic of being an exemplary and strong non-governmental organization aligned with the ICI’s 72-year brand value. We are experiencing the peace and pride of achieving this all together with our Board of Directors, Assembly Council, Assembly Members, Professional Committee Members and all our employees, hand in hand, displaying a good example of cooperation.

In the following pages of our magazine, you can read a summary of these important activities of the year 2024, which further enhanced the brand value of the ICI. A much broader version of these activities will be covered in the “Annual Report” that we are preparing, as we do every year.

At the last parliamentary meeting of the year, we discussed the general outlook of the world and Turkish economy together with our Assembly Members and listened to the presentations of our Assembly Working Groups regarding the activities of 2024. I would like to thank all our working groups who add value to their sectors with valuable and productive work. As it is known, every year, in our December Assembly meetings, our Chamber budget is presented to the evaluation of our Assembly members. I would like to thank our esteemed Assembly Members once again for their kindness in accepting our 2025 budget and wish our 2025 budget to be auspicious for our Chamber.

December was full of very important activities and projects for us. One of these was the now traditional Defense Industry Meetings, which we organized for the 6th time together with SAHA Istanbul. At the event, the main supplier companies of the defense industry again received the intense interest of the small and medium-sized companies of the sector. I believe that our Defense Industry Meetings have created a very serious synergy in the sector.

As ICI, from time to time we bring together the relevant Ministries and our Professional Committees. Last month, we brought our Professional Committees together with the Ministry of Trade, with which we have always worked closely and had very productive consultations. You can read the details of this meeting held with the participation of three Deputy Ministers and senior bureaucrats of the Ministry, on the following pages. I would like to thank once again our Deputy Ministers and their colleagues for attending our meeting, as I believe was extremely productive.

As I mentioned above, the years pass quickly. A new year means new hopes and expectations. I wish that the year 2025 will bring peace and prosperity to the world and our country, and health, peace and happiness to all of us. Happy New Year to you all.

Istanbul Chamber of Industry 
Chairman of the Board of Directors