The 2nd Foreign Trade Summit, organized by Istanbul Kultur University (IKU) Department of International Trade and Finance in collaboration with DIŞYÖNDER, was held on November 7, 2025, under the theme “Turkey's Vision for a Sustainable Foreign Trade Surplus.”
The summit was attended by Deputy Minister of Trade Sezai Uçarmak, Vice President of the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TİM) and President of İDDMİB Çetin Tecdelioğlu, General Director of Exports at the Ministry of Trade Mehmet Ali Kılıçkaya, Director General of Product Safety and Inspection Hakkı Karabörklü, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Damat Tween, Süleyman Orakçıoğlu, Ahu Orakçıoğlu, Turkish Eximbank General Manager Ali Güney, and SEDEFED President Emine Erdem. At the event, representatives from academia, the public sector, civil society, and the private sector came together to discuss new strategies for increasing Turkey's foreign trade capacity. In the opening speeches, it was emphasized that the vision of a sustainable foreign trade surplus is not only an economic goal but also a comprehensive development approach that encompasses environmental, technological, and social transformation. It was stated that universities are key actors in this transformation process in terms of knowledge production, developing innovative policy proposals, and training human resources.
At the sessions held during the summit, topics such as green transformation, digitalization, competitiveness, university-industry collaboration, and sustainable growth were discussed from different perspectives. Senior representatives of public institutions, managers of exporters' associations, academics, and business leaders shared their assessments regarding Turkey's foreign trade vision. Trade Minister Prof. Dr. Ömer Bolat, who was unable to attend the summit due to his schedule, sent a message to the DIŞYÖNDER family and Istanbul Kultur University, wishing them a “productive summit.” The summit created a powerful platform for knowledge sharing, developing a common vision, and establishing new collaborations between the public sector, academia, and the private sector.
The second day of the summit continued on November 10, 2025, with a total of 26 presentations in 7 sessions. In parallel and online sessions conducted with the contributions of academic partners, the future of foreign trade was evaluated from different perspectives. Participants came together with representatives from academia and the industry for information sharing and networking opportunities.
