Ozer Matli, elected president of the Bursa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BTSO), took over the post from Ibrahim Burkay at a handover ceremony held at the BTSO Main Service Building.
The ceremony was attended by Mustafa Varank, chairman of the Turkish Parliament's Industry, Trade, Energy, Natural Resources, Information and Technology Committee; AK Party Bursa Provincial Chairman Davut Gurkan; AK Party Bursa lawmaker Refik Ozen; former BTSO Assembly President Ali Ugur; BTSO Assembly President Erol Daglioglu; and BTSO High Advisory Board member Faik Celik.
Matli: A new era has begun
Ozer Matli said a new era had begun at BTSO after the election period. He said the chamber's work will continue in line with the process under Law No. 5174 of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye.
Matli said the projects launched during Ibrahim Burkay's term are Bursa's projects and will continue. He said that with the new administration, they plan to add new projects to the existing work in line with the changing world order and the needs of the sectors.
Stressing that Bursa is a strong and deep-rooted city, Matli said the chamber's goal is to raise the city's place in the economic rankings even further. Thanking the team he took over from, the assembly and the BTSO secretariat, Matli said they aim to take the institution entrusted to them to even better places.
Burkay: Projects should be developed
Outgoing president Ibrahim Burkay said the election at BTSO, which has a 137-year history, was held in a democratic environment. Burkay said they had served Bursa and the Turkish economy for 13 years.
Saying that many projects setting an example for Bursa and the Turkish economy were implemented during this period, Burkay expressed hope that the new administration will continue these projects and develop them with new work.
Burkay said Bursa is a strong city that steers the Turkish economy in production, trade and services. Noting that Bursa produces 8.6 percent of the Turkish economy, Burkay said the new administration will continue to contribute to the city's and the country's economy.
Varank: This is a relay race
Mustafa Varank wished that the election result would be beneficial for Bursa and the business world. Thanking Matli and Burkay for their democratic attitude during the election process, Varank said both had campaigned in the field with their own teams.
Saying they do not see the election as a race with winners and losers, Varank described the change at BTSO as a relay race. Varank said the new administration will build on the work of previous administrations and continue it with its own contributions.
Varank said that when it comes to Bursa, different groups must be able to gather around the same table. Noting that BTSO is an institution that has grown with the contributions of previous administrations, Varank said they expect the new administration to contribute to the city as well.
Referring to rumors that appeared in the press and on social networks during the election process, Varank argued that attempts were made to attribute the election process to political sides with unverified claims. Noting that BTSO is a civil society organization, Varank said neither candidate was the AK Party's candidate.
After the speeches, Ozer Matli presented Ibrahim Burkay with a plaque and flowers.
