In these blessed days of the holy month of Ramadan, I would like to start my words with the wish that feelings of love, peace, and affection embrace our hearts.
As you know, we have been going through a long period filled with ups and downs in terms of business for almost months. The season closures and changes in the markets we address, the long New Year holiday and Eid holidays, and finally, the events in our country have made this a challenging period for stability. Companies, which have been in a race to survive under continuous high expenses, unfortunately, suffered another blow in the face of such sudden fluctuations. In this phase, uncertainties and fluctuations in exchange rates have had positive or negative effects on businessmen in our region, just like everyone else. Considering the recent statements of the Federal Reserve (FED), it seems inevitable that in the long term, we need to be more focused on production and sales. For developing countries like us, it is now imperative to focus on innovative and design-oriented products rather than basic products in every branch of production. It appears that as we develop, we become more integrated with the world and are more affected by every event than in the past. These can be perceived as the birth pangs of growth and the efforts to become a strong and effective country in the global markets, but I believe that we need to be extremely cautious and determined in this regard. With the commercial and industrial experience spanning decades, I have no doubt that our region will stand firmly on its feet in the face of these fluctuations, just as it did in the past. This awareness should spread to all our companies, large and small, and we should be able to pass through this transitional period safely and without damage.
Our iftar, which we organized during the month, has become a traditional event for us and has been an important opportunity for us to come together, share our sincere thoughts, and seek solutions to existing problems. Rest assured that we carefully listen to and note down your ideas, opinions, and suggestions in detail. I would also like to express my infinite gratitude to our EU Minister Mr. Egemen Bağış, who honored our night, as well as to our Fatih Municipality Mayor Mr. Mustafa Demir, senior executives of public and private sectors, members of political parties, esteemed executives and members of non-governmental organizations, consular representatives, and our very valuable members of Lasiad. I also thank everyone who has contributed to the establishment of Lasiad and its activities from its inception to the present on behalf of myself and the board of directors. In that beautiful night where we thoroughly enjoyed the pleasure of being together, your energy once again gave us hope for the future. I believe that this unity and collaboration will continue to illuminate the path of service we have embarked upon with the light of our hearts.
Finally, I congratulate you on the occasion of the blessed Ramadan Bayram, and I extend my respects with the wish that you have a healthy, happy, peaceful, and accident-free holiday.
Giyasettin Eyyüpkoca.
