The Turkish mining sector, which brings Turkey’s underground riches to the economy with the motto “Mining for life, mining for living”, demanded the establishment of a “Ministry of Mining” that will be the sole interlocutor in solving the problems of the mining sector at the “5th Mining Workshop of Our Life”. Organized since 2017 alternately by the Aegean Mineral Exporters’ Association and the Istanbul Mineral Exporters’ Association, the “Mining Our Life Workshop”, where representatives of the mining sector and public institutions discussed the problems and solution proposals of the mining sector, was hosted by the Aegean Mineral Exporters’ Association in Afyonkarahisar, the capital of marble, where the Great Offensive began, on the 100th anniversary of the foundation of our Republic.
Alimoğlu; “Human comes first, then environment, then mineral”
Speaking at the opening of the 5th Our Life is Mineral Workshop, İbrahim Alimoğlu, President of the Aegean Mineral Exporters’ Association, said that they will discuss mining legislation, sustainability, mining perception, the future of the sector, critical raw materials and the position of women in the sector, who carry the mining sector forward with their presence as in every aspect of our lives.
“Turkey exports nearly 80 minerals. Our mines also contribute to the country’s economy as raw materials for other sectors.” Mr. Alimoğlu said, “We will continue to increase our sustainability-oriented exports with the motto ” Human comes first, then environment, then mineral!” We are aware of the needs of the sector. In order to minimize bureaucracy, our biggest need is the establishment of the Ministry of Natural Resources. Thus, we will be able to handle all our business with a single interlocutor. It is very important to be together. We can break the negative perception created for miners by working more together and lobbying. For this, we are acting together with our 18 Mining NGOs.”
Çetinkaya: “Agriculture is ours, environment is ours, mineral is ours”
Rüstem Çetinkaya, Chairman of the TIM Mining Sector Board and President of the Istanbul Mineral Exporters’ Association, underlined that the products obtained by miners with thousands of labor are used at every point in every moment of life, and emphasized that we have a magnificent wealth under the ground as well as our riches above the ground. Çetinkaya said, “We are a country with great riches. We have a magnificent wealth under the ground as well as above the ground. As a country, we can reach much better points in tourism, agriculture, mining and production. As miners, we act with an understanding that prioritizes agriculture. As miners, we have been saying the same thing for a long time. We believe it wholeheartedly and repeat it in every environment. Agriculture is ours, the environment is ours, and mining is ours.”
Afyon’s exports in 2022 will be 234 million dollars
Afyonkarahisar Governor Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kübra Güran Yiğitbaşı, who informed that the marble blocks extracted from Afyonkarahisar, Denizli, Balıkesir, Kütahya are processed with the developing technology and exported to all over the world, continued his words as follows; “In 2022, Turkey’s overall mineral exports amounted to 6.5 billion dollars and natural stone exports amounted to 2.9 billion dollars. Aegean Mineral Exporters’ Association’s mineral exports in 2022 amounted to 1.2 billion dollars, natural stone exports amounted to 676 million dollars and 234 million dollars of this was made from Afyonkarahisar. In 2022, Afyonkarahisar has a share of 11.20 % in Turkey’s total natural stone exports. In the first 9 months of 2023, Turkey’s total mineral exports amounted to 4.2 billion dollars and natural stone exports amounted to 1.5 billion dollars. In the first 9 months of 2023, Aegean Mineral Exporters’ Association mineral exports amounted to 804 million dollars and natural stone exports to 510 million dollars. Our goal in the medium term will be to increase these figures. Marble and other natural stones constitute an important export item in the Aegean Region and I believe that increasing exports will make a significant contribution to solving the inflation problem of our country.”
Kılıçkaya; “There would be no industrial production without mines”
Defining mines as the supporter of all our industrial production and consequently our exports, Mehmet Ali Kılıçkaya, General Director of Export, underlined that without our mines, we would not be able to produce in many industrial sectors from iron and steel to automotive, from machinery to defense industry, from ship yacht manufacturing to air conditioning, from ceramics to electrical electronics production.
“As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of our Republic, we are directing our efforts with more determination and strength to set sail for new achievements,” said Mr. Kılıçkaya and added: “At a time when the dynamics of economy and trade are changing rapidly and Turkey is struggling to build a strong future for itself amidst regional and global crises, we are always setting our goals on moving forward from yesterday. Turkey’s economy has been growing and creating jobs for 12 quarters. Thanks to your efforts, our country, which continues to produce and export uninterruptedly, grew by 1.9% even in 2020, when the impact of the pandemic was felt the most. In 2021, Turkey achieved a strong performance with 11.4% growth, and managed to grow by 5.5% last year, 3.9% in the first quarter and 3.8% in the second quarter of 2023. In parallel with our success in growth, our exports continue to increase. I believe that this workshop will contribute to the sector’s problems and demands to be voiced, consulted on and effective solutions to be found. In 2023, we will have provided over 10 billion TL support to exports. In 2024, our support will exceed 20 billion TL.”
We have prepared a support model named sustainability and digital transformation
Sharing that they want to add a support model named “Sustainability and digital transformation” to the supports of the Ministry of Trade, Mehmet Ali Kılıçkaya, General Manager of Export, said that they have submitted a study on this issue to the Presidency and that they are based on the TURQUALITY Support Program of the Ministry of Trade in this process, that the maturity of the companies will be measured and support will be given accordingly, and that the companies will be given a sustainability grade and the supports will be shaped according to this grade.
MAPEG General Manager Narin: “Mining sector’s 2028 export target is 10 billion dollars”
Stating that the mining sector has found the value it deserves in the Medium Term Program and the 12th Development Plan, Arslan Narin, General Manager of MAPEG at the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, said that the MTP and the 12th Development Plan highlighted the public interest of mining and ensured the security of licenses. Stating that the MTP and the 12th Development Plan have given them homework as regulatory bodies in the mining sector, Narin said, “We are working to achieve the targets in the 12th Development Program and to become a net exporter in the Medium Term. In the 12th Development Plan, a target of 10 billion dollars was set for our mining exports in 2028, and we believe that we will exceed this target. We will provide an environment for the mining sector.”
Karacabey: “Mining and forestry can be sustainable together”
Stating that when a sapling is planted, a forest is formed in 120 years, General Director of Forestry Bekir Karacabey said, “Forests are the source of clean water and oxygen for us to breathe. It is not right to compare forests and mines with each other.” Karacabey said, “Carbon sink areas are forests. Mines and forests are not enemies of each other. Mining and forestry are sustainable together, and we all have a common responsibility to explain this to the public correctly. We have not emphasized this issue until today. This needs to be effectively explained to the public.”
“Minerals have to be extracted from where they are located, we cannot say that we should extract them elsewhere, but we need to find a way to extract them without harming the environment and the living things in that environment,” said Karacabey and concluded his words as follows; “We should adopt zero waste in mining as a motto. We should utilize the rust from marble quarries and listen to the sensitivities of environmentalists. We must not harm the environment. In forestry, we need to observe activities by considering the balance of protection and utilization. Of course, there are good examples of rehabilitation work in the mining sector. There are examples that we would not realize if we did not know that mining was taking place in that region. We should tell these examples to the public more. We are constantly thinking about shortening the process in the mining sector, there should not be such a procedure in front of the investor. Each ministry spends separate time on these processes. In order to improve the investment environment, we proposed that the license, EIA and Permit Certificate should be carried out by a single ministry. The issue is under evaluation. We are open to all kinds of proposals.”
Serteser; “10 thousand 210 people in Afyon earn their bread from stone”
On behalf of Afyon, Rüstem Çetinkaya was elected as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Istanbul Mineral Exporters’ Association and İbrahim Alimoğlu was elected as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Aegean Mineral Exporters’ Association.
Expressing their pride, Afyonkarahisar Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Hüsnü Serteser underlined that the mining sector is the sector that provides remarkable employment as well as being the sector that exports the most in Afyon. Serteser said, “According to the data of the Provincial Directorate of Social Security Institution, a total of 10 thousand 210 people in Afyonkarahisar make their living from stone. Indirectly, 30 thousand people eat bread from the marble sector. As Afyonkarahisar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, we prepared a project called “Afyon Marble is Everywhere in the World – Marble Earth” to develop the exports of the marble sector within the scope of the Development of International Competitiveness (UR-GE) carried out under the auspices of our Ministry of Trade. Our project was accepted. Within the scope of our 3-year project, we have completed our needs analysis visits. The project aims to increase our exports by envisaging many activities such as bilateral business meetings, participation in fairs and overseas marketing. Since 2010, we have been voicing our demand for the establishment of the Ministry of Mining.”
At the 5th Our Life is Mining Workshop, the topics on the agenda of the sector were discussed under the headings of “The Perception and Reality of Mining in Turkey”, “How Should Mining Legislation be for Sector Leadership and Sustainable Mining?”, “The Future of the Mining Sector from the Public Perspective”, “The Importance of Critical Raw Materials in Our Country’s Economy” and “Women in the Mining Sector”.
+90 532 585 51 95
+90 532 585 51 95