Eurasian Economic Summit discusses global hot-button issues

ISTANBUL

The 26th Eurasian Economic Summit discussed hot-button issues, including the Russia-Ukraine war, in the presence of several heads of state.

Starting Tuesday, the three-day summit has been organized by the Marmara Group Foundation in cooperation with Istanbul Apparel Exporters’ Association and Turkish Exporters' Assembly (TIM) in Istanbul.

On Tuesday, Akkan Suver, the head of Marmara Group Foundation, said the summit has been gathering Asian, European and African, and sometimes American, philosophers, officials, academics, businesspeople and clergy for 26 years.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, via a text message, said: "We expect our entrepreneurs to both protect their workplaces, factories and mobilize all the means for earthquake victims."

Recalling that the twin quakes hit 11 provinces, killed more than 48,000 people and affected 14 million people in the country, he said that the government targets to rebuild all quake-hit provinces within this year.

In this process, important duties and responsibilities will fall on the business world as well as the relevant institutions of the state, he added.

Ersin Tatar, the president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), said in the summit that energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean will only benefit both parties if they are explored in cooperation and delivered to international markets.

Stating that the EU offered to give up the TRNC and integrate into the Greek Cypriot administration, and thus join the union without Türkiye, Tatar said: “We will not go anywhere without Türkiye.

"Our homeland is the Republic of Türkiye, under the guarantor of our homeland, the Republic of Türkiye, and with the presence of the Turkish military as the guarantor of peace, it is possible to proclaim peace in Cyprus.”

Mustafa Gultepe, the head of TIM, said that unfortunately, the damage caused by the earthquake to the country's production areas was seen in export figures last month.

"There are positive signals in our figures as of March, we aim to heal our wounds as soon as possible and to maintain the upward momentum of our exports," he added.

Lazar Comanescu, the general secretary of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, said the global cooperation after the twin earthquakes in Türkiye was very important.

The organization is always ready to contribute to the country's rebuilding process.