Provides references to the principal business associations, indicating which accept U.S. companies. Describes the primary roles of those associations and to what extent they influence government actions.
Last Published: 6/20/2019

AmCham Turkey/ABFT - American Business Forum in Turkey 
AmCham Turkey/ABFT was established in January 2004 in Istanbul as the “Voice of American Business in Turkey.”  AmCham Turkey/ABFT’s primary mission is to act as a bridge between Turkey and the United States to further improve bilateral trade, investment and to support Turkey’s economic development by strengthening the business environment and stimulating FDI.  The U.S. Ambassador to Turkey is the Honorary Chair.  AmCham Turkey/ABFT has six committees: Public Affairs, Investment Environment, Sustainability, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Digital Economy and Food & Agriculture.  As an American Chamber of Commerce in Turkey, AmCham Turkey/ABFT has 110 prominent members, representing an over $54 billion economic contribution and 90,000 jobs in Turkey.
 
DEIK - Foreign Economic Relations Board  
Upon its establishment in 1986, the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey (DEIK) was designed to organize and manage the foreign economic relations of the Turkish private sector, in particular with respect to foreign trade, international investments, services, contracting and logistics; to analyze investment opportunities at home and abroad; and to help boost the country’s exports as well as coordinate similar business development activities.

There are 139 bilateral, 5 sector-specific and 2 special purpose business councils operating under DEIK.  The council for the United States, The Turkey-U.S. Business Council (TAIK), was the first bilateral business council established in Turkey.

TAIK – Turkey-U.S. Business Council   
TAİK, operating under the umbrella of DEİK, was established in 1985 as the first business council in Turkey with the aim of enhancing trade and investment relations between Turkey and the United States.  TAIK is the largest of the 145 bilateral business councils operating under DEIK.

TAIK’s mission is to enhance trade and economic relations between Turkey and the United States. TAİK works with American and Turkish companies to bolster their strategic partnerships as well as to promote Turkey’s and the United States’ strengths as a destination for bilateral investment.

TMB - Turkish Contractors Association   
The Turkish Contractors Association (TCA) is an independent, non-profit professional organization based in Ankara.  The association was founded in 1952 and represents the leading construction companies in Turkey.  Its members’ business makes up nearly 70% of all domestic and 90% of all international contracting work done by Turkish construction companies.  Since the early 1970's, Turkish contractors have completed almost 9,600 projects in 123 countries.  Their business volume abroad has reached $380 billion.

In addition to offering contracting services at international standards both within and outside Turkey, nearly 75% of TCA members are also active in various fields of construction industry investments, manufacturing, engineering and consulting.

TOBB - The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey 
TOBB, established in 1950 in Ankara, is the highest legal entity in Turkey representing the private sector (1.9 million companies) and the largest non-profit organization in the country, encompassing 365 Chambers and Commodity Exchanges.  All companies in Turkey are required to be a member of a Chamber of Commerce or a Chamber of Industry.  All Chambers of Commerce and Industry must be members of TOBB.  In 2004, TOBB established the TOBB Economics and Technology University, which participates in major social and commercial bodies as well as in some private and government organizations in Turkey.

TUGIAD - Young Businessmen Association of Turkey   
TUGIAD, founded in 1986 in Istanbul, has 870 members, who are active in 60 sectors, including construction, textiles, foreign trading, automotive and spare parts, tourism, food, machinery and metal products.  TUGIAD is the first national and the only international association of young businessmen of Turkey with representative offices in Greece, Italy, the United States, Canada, Romania and the United Kingdom.  TUGIAD members are primarily engaged in foreign business activities, with annual exports totaling $18 billion and imports totaling $23 billion.

TUSIAD - Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association 
TUSIAD, established in 1971, is a voluntary business organization of CEOs and executives from major industrial and services companies in Turkey, including Fortune 500 companies.  With 4,500 member companies, it is often representative of the overall economic activity of the country.  TUSIAD is based in Istanbul and has representative offices in Washington D.C., Brussels, Paris, Berlin, London and Beijing.

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