ICOC President Şekib Avdagiç:

• “There is no problem at the point of Turkey’s internal e-commerce. We should arrive at a place in terms of cross-border e-commerce on next term. When we look at the month of April, online shopping has been done for the first time with the more than 3 million credit cards which have never done any shopping at e-commerce up to now.”
   
• “Our precious companies can be transfered to foreign owners with little prices in this cash crisis chart. There has not been an apprehensive situation yet in Turkey. However,  I highligt the under of necessary precautions which must be taken.”
   

Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ICOC) President Şekib Avdagiç mentioned  that there is no problem at the point of Turkey’s internal e-commerce, and expressed that “We should arrive at a place in terms of cross-border e-commerce on next term. When we look at the month of April, online shopping has been done for the first time with the more than 3 million credit cards which have never done any shopping at e-commerce up to now.” According to the statement which has been made in Black Sea Foundation;  Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ICOC) President Şekip Avdagiç, International Transporter Association (UND) Chairman of the Board Çetin Nuhoğlu and Vice President of Black Sea Foundation Ali Bayramoğlu have evaluated the last developments of business world at the Black Sea Strategic Research Center (KASAM).

ICOC President Şekib Avdagiç says that it is not related only with China although starting point of virus is China, and that one third of aproximately 150 thousand cafe-restaurants in Turkey place in Istanbul and most of them go to trouble. Avdagiç also expressed with handling exchange direections and global economy that Turkey trys to compensate its situation with its steps formed for 3 sections, and he pointed these: “First, the government has postponed for 6 months some companies’ debts which are related to public issues with force major. Second, the government has taken precautions with 2 steps for employees. One is the short term working allowance, in other words those who have lost their jobs can apply. Those who have the rules of 450 days or 60 days can apply. They can take maximum 4 thousand 400 hundreds salary. 1.200 TL is given  without any reason as unemployement pay to those who have lost their jobs. There are also supports for employers who do not dismiss their employees. Applications are huge in Istanbul; much more than 260 thousand companies have applied for these supports, it means that these supports are an application which reaches  to 2,5 million people. There are some complaints about late feedbacks but a few times of applications which are made in last a decade and seven years have occured in less than 2 months. I celebrate Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Services, its big success to make a mass decision on this issue.” Besides, Avdagiç says that the credit channels have taken into active, and that the new supports for shopkeepers are being prepared as a third step.

Avdagiç said that the total credit capacity is approximately 1 trillion 950 billion TL according to the rate on previous week, and he kept his words like that:

 “Nearly 100 billion TL has increased on this April. Its 94 billion TL has been done through public banks. Only its 6 billion TL has been completed through private banks. Public banks have moved actively thanks to government support. We see that some of the requests will be evaluted even if they are too much. The production side has been always supported up to now in Turkey and Europe. USA applies a different model. West has started to argue that: We support the production but if the goods has not requested, this production will be stucked. For this reason, the production must be supported and consumers must be motivated. Namely, customers’ consumptions has come into prominence for the production continuity.”

“FIRMS HAVE COME TO A POINT IN WHICH THEY MAY PASS INTO OTHER HANDS WITH LESS PRICES”

Avdagiç says that some of them wants to get unearned income by buying the firms with less prices on this period, and that the firms  have come to a point in which they may pass into big companies with less prices.”

Avdagiç expresses that most countries have started to leave China and they have formed its supply source in their countries or close locations. He also says that Chinese has started to snatch from this situation and they have bought the firms with avaliable prices. Some countries like Germany, has brought a public control on this kind of sales. Especially the sale of the strategic firms need a government approve. This issue is important so much for Turkey as well. Otherwise, our valuable firms may be passed into foreign hands with less prices in this cash crisis. There is not a worrying situation yet but I higlight that the needed precautions must be taken. It is the important subject that we have to attach importance so much for the period on forward.

West has focused on forming a robotic production in their countries. For this reason, it is clear that we will enter a new term in the supply chain. There are 3 titles which we mention in our contacts with Ankara. One of them is siber security. Working from home has occured an unbeliable risk. Because IT systems have not been designed for this situation. The problems start when the most of people has connected.

Avdagiç says that Turkey has not a problem with  internal e-trade, and  he has kept his words like that:

“Even if the some of e-trades has passed into foreign capital, we has come to a determined point. We must to focus on the cross-border e-trade. PTT is working on this issue right now and they have gained a succes in some locations, Africa in particular. But I see that they do not enough announce themselves. We have to  come to a point in the cross-border e-trade. When we look at just the previous April, online shopping has been done for the first time with the more than 3 million credit cards which have never done any shopping at e-commerce up to now. The cologne sales have increased on e-trade in a hundred percent, yeast sale has increased by 400 percent, electronic devices’ sales have increased by 700 percent. There is a speed rise in some goods.”

Avdagiç mentiones that the new regulations are needed for the shopping malls and he says that Germany has brought some standards for shopping malls’ airconditions. Shopping malls in Turkey must to prohibit the new risk wave while commencing their operations. Turkey is not a bad situation on digitalism point but we have to prepare and improve ourselves in next terms to catch the world. As ICOC, we have taken a step on these issues in this term.

Avdagiç lastly expressed that spending money on this period is fewer and it directly affects to economic life.