When considering the historical economic transformation of the century-old Republic of Türkiye, several titles come to mind, including planned development, the small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) revolution, infrastructure advancement, export-oriented growth, and the heavy industry push. It is not easy to choose: We are talking about a development move that has set an example for many developing economies of the world.
After the first five-year industrialization plan between 1933 and 1938, with 12 Five-Year Development Plans from 1961 to the present, Türkiye has boosted the gross domestic product (GDP) to over $1 trillion and its exports to over $250 billion. It's a wish that these historical leaps in the Turkish economy were not divided into pieces: the great leaps in the first 15 years of the republic and the last 15 years in which we reached the 100th anniversary have already been engraved in the pages of history. These achievements are foundational support for sustainable development and regional peace.
As we observe the heavy human tragedy in the Middle East and the "conscious" ignorance of some of the world's leading countries, we once again realize how valuable the free and fair stance of the republic of Türkiye, the work of the founders of the republic who signed its establishment 100 years ago with their blood and hearts, is for the security and peace of the entire geography around our country. For this reason, we need to grasp again what an invaluable success the economic independence of the Republic of Türkiye, the "economic rise of Anatolia" and the SME revolution are in the 100-year-old glorious story of the republic. This is the essence of the industrialization move, engraved in golden letters in the 100-year history of the republic, which has turned into a historical export move from all 81 provinces in the last 20 years, where Turkish industry has achieved an export volume of hundreds of billions of dollars, and that the high value-added products of Turkish industry are sought after in every corner of the world.
Transformation
Anatolia's economic rise and the SME revolution have also transformed many cities of Türkiye into production, employment, innovation and export centers. What has been achieved in the name of university-industry cooperation and Türkiye's "domestic and national" ("yerli ve milli" in Turkish) technology moves in techno-cities, techno-parks and incubation centers are of strategic importance for the consolidation of the high value-added economy in the second century of the republic under the vision of the "Century of Türkiye."
These achievements are also important in strengthening Türkiye's strategic autonomy capacity, which is necessary for strengthening the nation's possibilities and capabilities in the painful restructuring process of the global order and global economy-political system. Türkiye's deepening of its defense, energy, food, logistics, transportation and digital capabilities with domestic and national resources, and its expansion of its area of dominance from the depths of space to the depths of the seas and oceans are signs of the success of the 100-year-old republic's economy.
In the founding days of the republic, a significant part of its working population was martyred in the War of Independence, and from a Türkiye that did not have the capital for the investments needed to build a new economy, today, to a Türkiye that has made strategic investments in five continents, ranking second in international contracting services in the world, and strengthening its position as a "safe port" country in the global supply system with its goods and services, is another important dimension of the 100-year story of the Turkish economy, and is the epic entrepreneurship story of the Turkish people.
Entrepreneurship success
The entrepreneurship success of Turkish people is the essence of the economic road map of the "Century of Türkiye," because we will continue to increase our claim in the world economy with our unstoppable entrepreneurial skills. For the last 35 years, countless times, I have tried to find rational answers to the countless questions of many of our people who are looking for all kinds of solutions to realize their entrepreneurial projects.
The success story of the Turkish economy is also the story of the endless determination of our SMEs. We will take the SME revolution to an even more assertive level in the Century of Türkiye with a new generation that observes and analyzes the new ruptures and new challenges in global competition.
An invaluable achievement in the last 20 years of the economy of the republic is the democratization of the economy. It is the spread of capital and investment skills to the public. Türkiye is in an exceptional position in the world with the number of companies operating in the real sector. For this reason, our nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) representing the real and private sectors in Türkiye set an example to the world with the projects they carry out and their professional working skills, and therefore stand out in the management of umbrella organizations on an international scale.
The 100-year success of the Turkish economy is also known to the world with the ambitious projects and work of our umbrella organizations such as the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM), Türkiye's Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK), the Turkish Industry and Business Association (TÜSIAD), Independent Industrialists and Businessmen's Association's (MÜSIAD) and NGOs that have close relations with the business world at the international level.
In the Century of Türkiye, we will continue to inspire Eurasia, the Caucasus and the Balkans, together with Africa and the Middle East with our SME revolution.