A pioneering event by MÜSIAD, one of Türkiye's top business associations, brought together the best minds of industry and technology in Istanbul on Thursday, with officials emphasizing the country's commitment to advancing industrial tech and bolstering its domestic manufacturing sector.
Held under the banner "Sanayi için hamle yap" (Make a Move for Industry), the MÜSIAD Industry and Technology Summit (MUST'24) highlighted new alliances between industry and emerging technologies, assessing future strategies.
Addressing the event, Industry and Technology Minister Kacır lauded the summit as a significant platform for contributing to Türkiye's industrial and technological infrastructure.
Kacır underscored the alignment of the Make a Move for Industry theme with national industrial goals.
"As we stepped into the 2000s, our country faced limited production, workforce, and suppressed potential," said the minister, reflecting on Türkiye's historical industrial challenges.
Kacır said today's focus on resilience has led to notable advances in sectors such as defense, stressing the need for self-reliance in various technological fields and reiterating the importance of the "National Technology Initiative."
The minister also referred to last week's terrorist attack on Türkiye's defense giant, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), which killed five people and injured 22 others.
"The attack on TAI reminds us of the urgency of our National Technology Initiative and the need to fortify our path to independence," Kacır stated.
MÜSIAD President Mahmut Asmalı condemned the attack on TAI, expressing solidarity and commending the resilience of Türkiye's defense industry workers.
"We believe that this heinous attack will only bolster the determination of our engineers and technicians," Asmalı noted.
He underscored the necessity of uniting Türkiye's production strength for sustainable industrial growth. "We must abandon the notion of 'let it be mine alone' in favor of 'let it be grand and ours together,'" he said, underscoring the importance of collective industrial strength.
Asmalı also pointed to the goals outlined in the government's Medium-Term Program (MTP), advocating for an increase in the manufacturing sector's contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP).
He noted that Türkiye's industrial ambitions hinge on addressing structural barriers and enhancing competitive edge, particularly through high-value technology sectors.
Also addressing the summit, MÜSIAD's Industry Production and Policies Commission head, Abdullah Eriş, affirmed the importance of the event in shaping a unified vision for Türkiye's economic and national progress.
"MUST 2024 is not just an event; it's a platform for uniting innovative strategies to strengthen Türkiye's position in global competition," Eriş noted.
