|
About TAIK (Turkish- American Business Council)
Largest and most established bilateral council: TAIK
TAIK was formed in 1985 as the first business council in Turkey with the aim to enhance trade and investment relations between Turkey and the U.S.
Vision & Mission
 TAIK’ s vision is primarily to increase the volume of Turkey-US trade (as a minimum to Turkey-EU level), to be recognized as the source of information and networking on bilateral issues for both Turkish and US companies and to assist US companies to view Turkey as a key partner and destination for direct investments in the region.
TAIK subsequently operates with a mission to create platforms to facilitate the development of commercial and trade relations through its range of activities. With its broad range of activities that it undertakes and its wide-ranging international links, TAIK has set precedent to other organizations, in pursuit of similar goals.
Its Executive Committee is represented by the top-level executives of the leading companies in Turkey. Since its establishment, prominent names such as Ersin Faralyalı, Sedat Aloglu, Mustafa Koc, Akin Ongor, Dr. Vural Akisik and Dr. Yilmaz Arguden have chaired the Business Council.
Objectives
• To encourage business development, to improve the conditions for bilateral trade, foreign direct investments, industrial cooperation and joint investments in third countries,
• To research, identify and develop opportunities in key sectors for designated states and cities where possibilities of win-win business development can be pursued,
• To develop the brand identity of Turkey and its key business sectors in the US, by promoting the advantages of Turkey as a place to do business as well as promoting business and cultural tourism,
• To promote U.S. business opportunities in Turkey through a multi-layered communications strategy,
• To coordinate joint efforts to collect, combine, analyze, evaluate and disseminate information relating to trade, investment, industrial and technological cooperation
Background
In 1986 nine principal private sector institutions in Turkey came together to create The Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK), a non-profit, private sector organization which would strive to improve Turkey’s economic relations internationally. As a result of the restructuring process in year 2006, DEİK’s founding member institutions have increased to twenty-seven, whose broad base constituencies enable DEIK to represent Turkish corporations in virtually all sectors.
DEIK operates as an umbrella organization comprised of seventy-five Bilateral Business Councils. These Bilateral Business Councils are established by the interested Turkish companies and their foreign counterparts for the purpose of promoting business relations more effectively. Having a structured bilateral business council ensures an effective follow-up mechanism and enables the continuous flow of information to member companies on trade and industrial cooperation possibilities. TAIK, the largest, the oldest and most established Business Council, operates under the permanent secretariat of DEIK.
Since its foundation, the Council has benefited from the active support and encouragement of both the Turkish and U.S governments, and is privileged to host high ranking dignitaries. TAIK has a strategic relationship with various Business Development Organizations in the United States for the coordination of events to promote bilateral trade.
Committees
TAIK plans its activities through strategy and communications committees and industry-specific committees, namely construction, energy, IT, banking and finance, finance (non-banking), EU, education, health, automotive, telecommunications, textile, media, tourism, culture and arts, jewelry, defense, agri-business, retail, third countries and governmental affairs.
Annual Conference
The ‘Joint Annual Conference’ organized by TAIK and American Turkish Council every spring in Washington DC, creates further opportunities for member companies to exchange views on economic and political issues put forward by experts. The Conference attracts hundreds of business people as well as high-level government representatives from both countries addressing the key issues in different sectors. Panel discussions on issues such as ‘trade and investment issues’, ‘banking and finance’, ‘agribusiness’, ‘energy’, ‘construction’, ‘foreign affairs and ‘defense’ are the usual highlights.
While in Washington, D.C, TAIK board members visit members of Congress, the Administration, think tanks, financial agencies and U.S. media representatives in order to exchange views on bilateral relations and to discuss policy recommendations for the removal of tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade and investment.
Exploring Business Prospects
TAIK exerts emphasis to cooperation in third countries and therefore has taken a proactive role in contributing to the processes of restructuring and rebuilding Iraq and Afghanistan as well as having undertaken various missions jointly with the Turkish – Eurasian Business Councils to the Republics of Central Asia, Ukraine and the Russian Federation, which yielded constructive results. Also, TAİK organized a seminar titled “Investment and Partnership Opportunities: Greece – Turkey – U.S.” in collaboration with the Turkish-Greek Business Council, in 2006, New York. Such missions demonstrate the eagerness of Turkish companies to explore joint venture possibilities with companies in emerging and developing markets.
The Council benefits from the synergy that is generated by the environment which the DEIK network of seventy-five bilateral councils as well as the Black Sea Economic Cooperation creates. The Black Sea Economic Cooperation Business Council, which brings together the business communities of the twelve participating countries consisting of Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Turkey, Serbia and Ukraine is represented by DEIK in Turkey. Other Services and Activities
• employs a consultant in Washington, D.C. to maintain contacts pertaining to its business and lobbying activities as well as identify new business opportunities.
• organizes business seminars in different cities throughout the United States with local business organizations in order to develop opportunities for collaboration in business and investment areas. In this framework, seminars have been held in New York, Chicago, Orlando, Houston, Columbus, San Francisco, Boston, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Charlotte, Manchester, Shepherdstown and Pittsburgh.
• hosts briefing seminars with luncheons, dinners or receptions with its members for delegations of American businessmen, Congressmen, staffers visiting every year. During their visits, TAİK also organizes exclusive meetings with high-level government officials, business people and NGOs. Among the dignitaries whom TAİK hosted, US President Bill Clinton (1999), Hillary Clinton (1996), Dennis Hastert, the Speaker of the House of Representatives (2002), J. Donohue, the US Chamber of Commerce President (2002), W. Daley (1998) and Mosbacher (1991), US Secretaries of Commerce, Spencer Abraham (2004), US Secretary of Energy, Mineta (2004), US Secretary of Transportation, could be named. TAIK also hosts delegations of National War College, National Defense University, US-Asia Foundation, Foreign Policy Association, Georgetown University, Emory University, ACYPL during their Turkey visits.
• conveys the views of the Business Council at official platforms like the “Economic Partnership Commission” (EOK), Trade Investment Framework Agreement” (TIFA) meetings, in addition to occasions like the Prime Ministry and Ministry visits.
• organizes meetings to build domestic interest level in doing business with the U.S and educate the public on various aspects of the relations between the U.S. and Turkey. (For example, as part of the commemoration activities of TAIK’s 20th Year Anniversary, a chain of “Anatolian-US Bridge” meetings have been organized in economically emerging cities in Turkey to inform the local businessmen about the economic potential and ways of doing business in the U.S.)
• conducts research on various dimensions of bilateral economic and business development, forwards comprehensive information to its members acquired via contacts / projects held in cooperation with government institutions, academic institutions, think tanks, international finance and other intermediary business institutions, both in Turkey and the US.
|
|