'Balkan Business Forum' in Edirne
The "Balkan Business Forum" hosted by the Edirne Platform for Cooperation of Balkan Cities, which was established in order to gather the cooperation of institutions and NGOs in Edirne and Thrace with Balkan countries under a single roof, brought together business people from 11 Balkan countries and Thrace region in Edirne. Hüseyin Zeybek and Özgür Ferhat, New Left minority MPs from Western Thrace, also attended the meeting. The meeting was also attended by Mehmet Molla Ahmet, President of the Thracian Businessmen's Association based in Komotini and the executives of the association, Anestis Vafiadis, President of the Federation of Chambers of Tradesmen, Craftsmen and Commerce of Rodopi, Stelios Moraitis, President of the Chamber of Commerce of Xanthi and Turkish and Greek businessmen from the region.
In the forum attended by business people from 11 Balkan countries including Greece, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Romania, Albania, Kosovo and Serbia, representatives of the ready-to-wear clothing, agricultural machinery, food, packaging, aluminium, wholesale consumption and retail, fresh vegetables and fruit exports, tourism, forest and timber products, construction materials and health tourism sectors came together.
Edirne Governor Yunus Sezer, in his speech at the Balkan Business Forum, said: "We are hosting business people from Balkan countries in Edirne and business people from Thrace in our province which has an important position throughout history. Edirne hosts four border gates opening to Europe. Especially Kapıkule Border Gate is our second gate with the highest vehicle and passenger circulation in the world. Kapıkule increases its potential by 15 per cent on average every year. What does this indicate? This is an indication that trade, industry and production have increased a lot beyond Europe. Therefore, there is a 15 per cent increase in our gates, truck traffic and passenger traffic every year. This also looks like it will continue. It shows that trade and industry will gradually increase in these lands. Thrace is an important region in terms of both agricultural activities and strategic aspects. We increased the number of organised industrial zones in Edirne from one to four."
Sezer said that they aspire to be a bridge in Edirne in agriculture, trade, industry, culture, sports and other fields and added: "This is the purpose of the establishment of the Balkan Cities Cooperation Platform. We aim to put flesh and bones to the mission that Edirne has historically undertaken. There are bridges here. Bridges are not the symbol of historical Edirne, but the symbol of the whole Balkans. We aim to transform these bridges from physical bridges into bridges of the heart and to be an occasion for the construction of lasting friendships. In this sense, Edirne Balkan Cities Cooperation Platform, which was established 3 months ago, continues its activities within the framework of a very good activity plan. Today, we are organising this forum with the participation of good business people from the Balkans and Thrace and we are trying to make it permanent. This is the beginning of our business forum, trade and industry. We are currently holding this forum with the participation of 240 companies, and we will hopefully bring together nearly 2 thousand business people with a big fair in autumn. We aim to gather our ministers of industry and trade in the Balkans, chambers and exchanges in Türkiye here. As Edirne, we think that we use 10 per cent of our potential in every field. In this field, we aim to increase our 10 per cent potential to 100 per cent or even above it."
Edirne Mayor Filiz Gencan Akın stated that Edirne is a city that considers itself as an inseparable part of the Balkans and said: "There is no doubt that this aspect of Edirne is also strongly supported by the ties of neighbourliness, friendship and alliance with some countries, which are rooted in the past with the Balkan geography. As a result of all these, it is our important responsibility to carry this precious heritage from the past to the future and to further increase the existing solidarity and cooperation."
Sezai Irmak, President of Edirne Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that the business people in the region will continue to do their best to open new markets in the Balkans and to carry out mutual commercial activities.
Mahmut Şahin, Secretary General of Trakya Development Agency and Mustafa Sarıbekir, President of Turkey Bulgaria Business Council also made speeches.
After the speeches, a mini show was presented to the participants in which the Historical Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling, the 663-year-old legend of Edirne, was revived.
PHOTO: AA, Edirne Governorate
