In collaboration with the Department of International Trade and Finance of Istanbul Kültür University (IKU) and DIŞYÖNDER, the “2nd Foreign Trade Summit” was held on November 7, 2025, with the theme “Vision of a Türkiye with a Sustainable Foreign Trade Surplus.” The summit brought together high-level participants including Deputy Minister of Trade Sezai Uçarmak, Vice President of the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TİM) & President of Istanbul Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Metals Exporters’ Association (İDDMİB) Çetin Tecdelioğlu, Director General of Exports at the Ministry of Trade Mehmet Ali Kılıçkaya, Director General of Product Safety and Inspection Hakkı Karabörklü, General Manager of Türk Eximbank Ali Güney, President of SEDEFED (Federation of Industrial Associations) Emine Erdem, and Chairperson of Damat Tween Board of Directors Süleyman Orakçıoğlu and Ahu Orakçıoğlu. Gathering representatives from academia, the public sector, civil society, and the private sector, the summit provided a platform to discuss new strategies aimed at enhancing Türkiye’s foreign trade capacity. In the opening speeches, it was emphasized that the vision of achieving a sustainable foreign trade surplus is not merely an economic goal but a holistic development approach encompassing environmental, technological, and social transformation. Universities were highlighted as key actors in this process, contributing through knowledge production, innovative policy of development, and qualified human resource training. Throughout the sessions, topics such as green transformation, digitalization, competitiveness, university-industry collaboration, and sustainable growth were addressed from multiple perspectives. Senior representatives from public institutions, executives of exporters’ associations, academics, and business leaders shared their evaluations regarding Türkiye’s foreign trade vision. Minister of Trade Prof. Dr. Ömer Bolat, who was unable to attend the event due to his schedule, sent a message conveying his best wishes for a “productive summit” to the DIŞYÖNDER community and Istanbul Kültür University. The summit served as a strong platform for knowledge exchange, shared vision-building, and new collaborations among public, academic, and private stakeholders. On November 10, 2025, the second day of the summit continued with seven sessions featuring a total of 26 paper presentations. During the parallel and online sessions, conducted with the contributions of academic partners, the future of foreign trade was examined from various perspectives. Participants also had the opportunities for knowledge exchange and networking with representatives from both academia and industry. |