Bartın Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Halil Balık Attended the TOBB Certificate of Honorary Service and Plaque Presentation Ceremony
The 2026 Certificate of Honorary Service and Plaque Presentation Ceremony of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB) was held at the TOBB Twin Towers, with the honorary presence of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the participation of Minister of Trade Ömer Bolat, and under the hosting of TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu. Halil Balık, President of the Board of Directors of the Bartın Chamber of Commerce and Industry, also attended the ceremony.
At the program, which saw strong participation from representatives of the business community, Certificates of Honorary Service and plaques were presented to individuals who have served for many years within chambers and commodity exchanges. As part of the program, a plaque was also presented to President Halil Balık.
Speaking at the ceremony, TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu noted that the Turkish economy has recorded significant growth in recent years and drew attention to the importance of supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in particular. Referring to the problems SMEs face in accessing finance, Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that SME loans and commercial credit cards should be excluded from the monthly loan growth limits.
In his speech, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan emphasized TOBB's critical role in the development of the Turkish economy and stated that chambers and commodity exchanges assume important responsibility in the development of cities. President Erdoğan stated that, with its service capacity and its contributions to production, exports and employment, TOBB has become one of the strongest chamber systems in the world.
Making remarks at the end of the program, Bartın Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Halil Balık stated that the services carried out under the TOBB umbrella are of great importance for the development of the Turkish economy, and said the following:
"The TOBB community makes significant contributions to our country in the development of production, investment, exports and employment. We were pleased to take part in this meaningful program held with the honorary presence of our esteemed President. Honoring those who have devoted many years of effort to the chamber and commodity exchange community is extremely valuable for strengthening the spirit of unity and solidarity. We believe that this plaque presented to us further increases our responsibility to serve the Bartın business community. In line with the economic development of our Bartın and the expectations of our members, we will continue our work with the same determination."
