June 18, 2004 from Daily Dünya

Adnan NAS, the TABA chairman says no dialogue between Turkish and

US businessmen

WE HAVE EVERY MATERIAL WE NEED FOR DESSERT

BUT WE JUST DON'T KNOW HOW TO COOK!

Istanbul, Dunya

Mr. Adnan Nas, the Chairman of Turkish American Businessmen Association (TABA) stated that the recent drop in exports to the USA, particularly, in textile and clothing items is due to deeper causes than the dollar exchange rate, and made it clear that there is no dialogue between Turkish and American businessmen. Noting that under these circumstance, there is nothing that strange in the decrease of Turkish exports to the USA, Mr. Nas said: "Yes, we have the recipe and we have the materials but we just don't know how to cook thanks to lack of right strategies."

Underlining that the annual foreign trade volume of the USA with the world is around 3 trillion dollars, Mr. Nas argued the following: "Turkey's share in that vast figure is almost negligible, like 6 billion-strong dollars. Because in reality, we are not a trade partner to the USA but rather a military one. Therefore the only reason why our exports to the USA do not increase but rather go down is not only the dollar exchange rate. The problem goes much deeper than one thinks at the first sight. In my opinion, the things are handled very superficially because trade does not improve with mutual exchanges of good intentions between the governments; trade improves when the businessmen come to an understanding."

Stating that the geographical distance does not matter in the development of trade with the USA, Mr. Nas reminded that the USA invests, even in Egypt and Kazakhstan three or four times more than Turkey. 

We don't speak the same language.

Stating that there is a mentality difference between the Turkish private sector and that of the USA, Mr. Nas said the following: "We don't speak the same language. For this reason, we, as TABA members, would like to deal with those issues during the new era which is more solid and no one is willing to deal with"

No dialogue atmosphere

Nas stated that it is very important to make a good evaluation of the relations between Turkey and USA. "I don't think that there is a solid atmosphere between the Turkish side and the USA; the dialogue is between the governments, and between the military sides. Turkish and US businessmen do not come together and think about common things. However, there is not a conflict between Turkish and USA interests. We need technology and financing; they, on the other hand, need skills to carry out business in the Balkans and Turki Republics. The US businessmen are incapable of making business on their own in the region except the energy sector. Notwithstanding these facts, why cannot two countries establish relations between themselves? That means we have the recipe and we have the ingredients but we just don't know how to cook. For this reason, there is a need to focus on the problem and perform exclusive workshops in this respect" he says. 

Turkish businessmen are opportunistic

Noting that Turkish businessmen do not think strategically and plan in the long term, Mr. Nas talks: "Besides, Turkish businessmen are opportunistic. But we need to unite this opportunistic approach with the pragmatism. We have to be more realistic, and have a commercial concept that is based on strategic thinking, that is to say, a more solid and palpable one. Furthermore, certain issues, such as information systems and reporting which the Small-and Medium-scaled Businesses fail to carry out should be developed with a support from certain societies and entities such as Turkish Union of Chambers and TABA."

Stating that Turkish people are very stubborn, Mr. Nas finished his words: "That means we make a decision on ourselves and try to make others accept it. This is not a good way to be successful in negotiations. To negotiate does not mean to make the other party accept your opinions and thoughts. On the contrary, it means a little bit empathy: occasionally putting yourself in the other's shoes and try to understand where the compromise or settlement is. However, we go on and go on remaining obstinate. The best case is our insistence for the inclusion of textile industry within the scope of High Caliber Industrial Zones.  We have been warning for years: "Do not be so stubborn, try to sell textile products with a high value added. What happened as a result? Textile sector was excluded from these zones."