Cevdet Yılmaz: We are building a resilient Türkiye with the 2053 vision

Giving the opening speech of the panel, Yilmaz stated that Türkiye aims to build a strong and resilient economy in line with the “2053 vision”. Yilmaz said that we have entered a period in which uncertainties and power competition have deepened on a global scale, and emphasized that the importance of exchange of ideas and strategic planning has increased in this process. Yilmaz reminded that the IMF lowered its 2025 global growth forecast to 2.8 percent, and the World Trade Organization predicted a 0.2 percent contraction in world goods trade. He said, “We are in a period where growth is higher than trade. This shows the extraordinary nature of the period we are in.”

"PROTECTIONIST TENDENCY AFFECTS GLOBAL TRADE" Drawing attention to the protectionist trend that has accelerated with the trade policies of the US, Yilmaz said, “This cannot be explained by Trump alone, there is a general trend on a global level. It is having serious effects on international trade.” Also touching on Turkey’s geopolitical location and economic power, Yilmaz said, “We have significant potential for investors with our 1.3 trillion dollar economy, young and dynamic population, and qualified workforce. We can access a market of 1.3 billion people within a four-hour flight distance of Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia.”

Yilmaz also stated that Türkiye is part of an economic zone worth around $30 trillion with free trade agreements and the Customs Union: “70 percent of our exports are with these countries. This creates an important protective shield against increasing protectionism.”

“WE CAN BE A NEW GENERATION SUPERIOR OF PRODUCTION” Yılmaz said that Turkey is a candidate to become a new generation production base thanks to its planned industrial areas, strong R&D ecosystem, investor-friendly incentive structure and logistics connections. He stated that digitalization and green transformation are at the center of the 12th Development Plan. “Fighting against inflation is our main priority” Making evaluations regarding the economic agenda, Yılmaz stated that the fight against inflation is continuing: “Inflation, which rose to 75.5 percent in May of last year, recently decreased to 37.9. This is a significant decrease, but it is not enough. We are targeting 20s by the end of the year, and then single-digit figures.” Drawing attention to the increase in Turkey’s foreign exchange reserves, Yılmaz said, “Reserves, which fell to 144 billion dollars, rose to over 153 billion dollars. We expect this recovery to accelerate even further in the coming months.”

Yilmaz drew attention to the importance of structural reforms for permanent economic success. Stating that reforms have positive effects both directly and through expectations, he said, “We are progressing towards becoming a country that stands out positively with the vision of the Turkish Century. We will all together build a Türkiye that has emerged from the shadow of terrorism, is self-confident and prosperous.”

"WE HAVE A LESSON TO LEARN"

Speaking at the panel, Johnson said that they have not even built a new motorway in the United Kingdom. Johnson stated that Türkiye has invested particularly in infrastructure and that this is a very troubling situation in the United Kingdom.

Noting that they should cancel many important projects in the United Kingdom, especially those in the north of England, Johnson said, "But airports are being built in Türkiye. There is incredible infrastructure investment and high-speed train investment. Train lines are connecting to the Balkans and this is a lesson we should actually learn."