2019 is only a few days away. I believe that every year-end is an important opportunity to look back and evaluate past actions, to take a look at the roadmap, and to determine the next steps.

The year we are leaving behind has been economically and politically challenging both for Turkey and for the world. Yes, it wasn’t an easy year, but as a “Turkish company with German roots” that has been operating in Turkey for 162 years, we continue to take firm steps with the trust and love we have for our country. As in previous years, we implemented many projects that contribute to the Turkish economy in 2018 and we put our signature under leading investments in our areas of operation.

2018 has also been important in terms of the development of the relations between Germany and Turkey. Since the launch of our operations in Turkey in 1856, we, as Siemens, have always took part in large-scale projects and firsts, while also playing an active role in Germany-Turkey relations. Today, we continue to pay attention to fulfilling our duties to reinforce the ties between the two countries.

The cooperation between Turkey and Germany is based upon strong economic foundations and has a huge potential for growth. I am very happy to see that following a short period of problems, relations have recently reached a much better point. For instance, earlier this year, Siemens AG CEO Joe Kaeser visited Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. In April, we had the opportunity to visit Siemens Training Center in Berlin together with Mr. Berat Albayrak, then Minister of Energy and today’s Minister of Treasury and Finance. During this visit, he stated that “Germany is an indispensable partner for Turkey”.

The best proof of this statement was the BRICA Summit held in İstanbul, hosted by the Turkish Industry and Business Association (TÜSİAD) with support from Siemens Turkey. Many world leaders came together in İstanbul for the BRICA Summit. We are preparing to provide innovative and digital technologies to the projects to be implemented within this scope in the coming period. By supporting successful, open, and fair international cooperation, we will continue to contribute to our country.

Yes, 2018 has been a challenging year not only for our country, but for the whole world. 2019 will also bring along its own challenges. However, let me tell you this: During my 40 years at Siemens, I have worked in seven different countries and faced many challenges and crises. Throughout this time, I have experienced how important it is to think in the long term, to cooperate, and to treasure people. I believe that we have successfully adopted this approach at Siemens Turkey by focusing on long-term plans. Within these 162 years, we have always believed in our country through thick and thin. We know very well that Turkey also trusts in Siemens.

With these positive feelings and opinions, I can’t wait to achieve many more successes in 2019 with the power of trust and love.

May 2019 bring you the best of everything.

Happy New Year!

We, as Siemens Turkey, are devastated by the news of the terrorist attack at İstanbul Atatürk Airport and our headquarters also shares our grief. The letter of condolences sent by Siemens AG Managing Board to our employees is a concrete indicator of their feelings of solidarity. The underlying message reads as “We believe in Turkey and we stand by you”. As stated in this letter, we should never give up believing in the future of our country. Our future will be built upon faith, hard-work and goodwill.

I extend my heartfelt condolences to the victims’ families and hope all those injured will get well soon. May the souls of the victims rest in peace.

Clichés may sometimes seem too “cliché” and not saying anything, but in fact they come from long times ago, often through challenging experiences.

We are in a period when we really “need unity and solidarity” the most, we have to act together, and as I have previously stated in other occasions, we need to trust our country the most.

For a country like Turkey that has both a deep-rooted history and a great potential, there is no way other than democracy. This is the reason why we should all the way protect the basic democratic values and rights. Our country has survived tough times before and will continue to remain a member of the modern world, taking firm steps towards development. I have no doubt about it.

Keeping our hopes and spirits high is our duty not only to ourselves and to our country, but also to our children who are our future. Whatever we are in charge of, each one of us must continue to do it in the best possible way. How you survive the toughest times is the best indicator of your strength.

There is not a slightest change in our trust in Turkey as we know that it has successfully managed to overcome many serious crises and similar situations before. We have expressed this after other recent sad events as well. (“We believe in Turkey, we are with you”). As Siemens, the reason for being able to celebrate our 160 years in Turkey is the fact that our trust has never lapsed.

I want to emphasize once again that in order to head straight together towards a brighter future in a democratic country, whatever we are in charge of, we must continue to do it in the best wy possible.

With my best wishes for our country and all of us.

Today is 8 March, International Women’s Day.

International Women’s Day is celebrated in Turkey since 1921. However, when we think about what is really going on, the reality is: “A smile in one eye and a teardrop in the other!” I am writing a message of celebration right now but what I think about are the painful incidents that happen to the women every day in our country… It is impossible for me to write this message without mentioning them.

On one hand, we say that the Turkish women should participate in every field of life and that is how the Turkish economy will grow and progress. However, on the other hand, we build barriers against the women. As a society, we don’t protect them and we don’t treat them equally; on the contrary, we hurt women and hinder them at many occasions. The devastating murder of Özgecan Aslan and incidents of violence against women one after another prove the difficulties of being a woman. Such incidents reveal that our country has a long way to go.

Despite these difficulties and inequalities, our women fearlessly study, have careers, advance in the business life by manifesting their identities with a great determination.

So, what is our responsibility here? In order to take the “woman identity” to its rightful place, it our responsibility to continue initiatives to achieve equality of woman-man and to support gender equality even more strongly. I believe that we should celebrate this day by taking the responsibility.

Taking the opportunity, I celebrate the International Women’s Day of all women, in the hope of a future where women live freely and equally.

I was in Germany recently. I was invited as a speaker to a meeting where the leaders of the largest SMEs all over the world would gather. They asked me questions about Turkey and the current situation. I told them about Turkey. Since the theme of the meeting did not cover political content, I tried to answer questions in an economic sense. I must say that Turkey is a great focus of attention. At this meeting, I witnessed it once more.

While assessing the situation in Turkey, rather than telling about the difficult times or existing problems, I wanted to put my thoughts on paper in a forward-looking, future-oriented manner. Actually, as a business person, I think that we should assess our country in this context and globalize out of this perspective. Of course, I am not saying we have no problems; we have challenges and problems, but we must focus on solving them. We owe a lot to Turkey and the future of Turkey and we have a responsibility. I think we should reflect our trust in our country to the outside world.

Life is a continuous exercise of problem solving

It would not be wrong to describe our present time as a “difficult period” for our country. In the short term, we may face some economic problems, but this does not change the fact that Turkey’s future in the medium-long term is bright.

Considering the future of countries in the medium and long term is a much more accurate approach. Turkey is a strong country. We have a young population that is open to innovative thinking and has a relatively high level of education. Our average age is 29. Again, we have a robust financial system built upon the lessons learned from a crisis. And the growth or potential of a country cannot be measured by its performance in one year only. Fluctuations may occur from time to time, not only in Turkey, but anywhere in the world. The important thing is to confront the problems and overcome them without ever being pessimistic about our future, and without forgetting “what we actually are and what we are capable of” or “who we are” as the old saying goes.

There is a saying in Turkey: “One cup of coffee is worth 40 years of friendship.” In other words, long-term relationships are essential for social life and business. For this, Siemens began operations in Turkey more than 150 years ago. Here, we are considered a Turkish company with German roots.

Since the early beginnings of our activities, Siemens has touched many lives and been a pillar in the development of the Turkish industry. We are among the first companies to bring power to Turkish cities, lights to Ottoman Palaces, and television infrastructure to households. In 1913, Siemens introduced Turkey’s first railway tram. So it is especially meaningful to us that exactly 100 years later, [Remark 1] in 2013, Siemens has delivered the first very-high-speed train to the Turkish government.

Because it bridges West and East, Turkey is an attractive hub for production and services. As the world’s 16^th largest economy and a member of the EU Customs Union, Turkey offers many opportunities for German companies. One of Turkey’s greatest assets is its educated and dynamic workforce of 4.5 million young people who embrace the new. A new generation of self-confident businesswomen and businessmen is growing, and they move fluently between the cultures of the East and West. Diversity has many facets other than a young population. One factor that differentiates Turkey is its large population of female engineers, lawyers, and project managers. Cultivating such diverse intellectual capital is essential for success in Turkey.

Awareness of cultural dimensions is crucial when doing business in any country. Although in many other countries we speak the same business language, we learned that speaking the same language does not mean sharing a culture. Turkey has been undergoing a transition of re-inventing itself, trying to find its own path into the future. Although the West provides a crucial benchmark, Turkey’s new generation, in particular, is finding its path to the future by combining the values and cultures of the East and West.

Turks are spontaneous, enthusiastic, and ready to take risks; contemplating strategy comes somewhat later. This might be different from what Germans are used to; however, this gives the Turks an advantage of time and speed in doing business. German companies first think about the strategy risks and then move forward. Not surprisingly, they are sometimes thought to be slower-moving, cautious, and hesitant. To succeed in a country like Turkey, it is crucial to combine strengths, cultures, and values without prejudice.

With three production facilities and 3,000 employees in Turkey, Siemens has contributed to value-added production and R&D and established a service network all over the country. We believe our long-term success depends on understanding Turkey’s business culture and gaining the trust of customers and society there while working hard for sustainability. In addition, this success also depends on believing in ourselves, in what we do, and in being able to think outside the box to reach targets.

Ensuring one’s sustainability in a country also depends on what you give back to its society.  At Siemens, we support the higher education of promising students in Turkish universities. In providing scholarships for students in engineering disciplines, we give priority to female and disabled students. We have established an Arts Exhibition Center in Istanbul to support young artists, and we provide scholarships for young opera artists in Turkey to continue their education in Europe. Just as Siemens has advanced the development of Turkish industry, we are proud to be part of the country’s cultural developments.

As a German company that has enjoyed success in Turkey for 150 years, our recommendation to other German companies is to achieve sustainable business in Turkey. Recently, the Turkish economy has transformed into a more open and liberal economy, and business is becoming less bureaucratic. In a developing economy like Turkey’s, companies must adapt to changes in the business climate on time and with the right actions, which can be achieved by sustainability.