Özer Matlı, elected president of the Bursa Chamber of Commerce and Industry, took over from İbrahim Burkay at a handover ceremony held at the BTSO Main Service Building.
The ceremony was attended by Mustafa Varank, chairman of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye’s Industry, Trade, Energy, Natural Resources, Information and Technology Commission; AK Party Bursa Provincial Chairman Davut Gürkan; AK Party Bursa lawmaker Refik Özen; former BTSO Assembly President Ali Uğur; BTSO Assembly President Erol Dağlıoğlu; and Faik Çelik, a member of the BTSO High Advisory Council.
Matlı: A new era has begun
Özer Matlı said a new era had begun at BTSO following the election. He said the chamber’s work would continue in line with the process under Law No. 5174 governing the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye.
Matlı said the projects launched during İbrahim Burkay’s tenure belonged to Bursa and would continue. He said they planned to add new projects to the existing work in line with the changing global order and the needs of the sectors under the new administration.
Emphasizing that Bursa is a strong city with deep-rooted history, Matlı said the chamber’s goal was to further improve the city’s position in the economic rankings. Thanking the team from which he took over, the assembly and the BTSO secretariat, Matlı said they aimed to take the institution entrusted to them to a better position.
Burkay: Projects should be developed
İbrahim Burkay, who handed over the post, said the election at BTSO, which has a 137-year history, had been held in a democratic environment. Burkay said they had served Bursa’s and Türkiye’s economies for 13 years.
Burkay said numerous projects that set examples for Bursa’s and Türkiye’s economies had been implemented during this period, and expressed his hope that the new administration would continue and further develop them through new initiatives.
Burkay said Bursa is a powerful city that guides Türkiye’s economy in production, trade and services. He said Bursa generates 8.6 percent of Türkiye’s economy and noted that the new administration would continue contributing to the city’s and the country’s economies.
Varank: This is a relay race
Mustafa Varank wished the election result well for Bursa and the business community. Thanking Matlı and Burkay for their democratic conduct during the election process, Varank said both candidates had campaigned with their own teams.
Varank said they did not view the election as a contest with a winner and a loser, describing the change at BTSO as a relay race. He said the new administration would continue the work of previous administrations while building on it.
Varank said different segments needed to come together around the same table when it came to Bursa. He said BTSO was an institution that had developed through the contributions of previous administrations and noted that they expected the new administration to contribute to the city as well.
Addressing rumors circulated in the press and on social networks during the election process, Varank argued that unverified claims had been used in an attempt to portray the election as linked to political parties. Varank said BTSO was a civil society organization and that neither candidate was an AK Party candidate.
Following the speeches, Özer Matlı presented İbrahim Burkay with a plaque and flowers.
