US-Turkey Business Council delegation concludes Ankara meetings. Hamdi Ulukaya: The American business world believes in Turkey

The business delegation program organized by the US-Turkey Business Council, which operates under the US Chamber of Commerce, has concluded in Ankara under the leadership of Council Chairman and Chobani founder Hamdi Ulukaya.

Representing the energy, technology, defense, healthcare, infrastructure, financial services, consumer products, and aviation sectors, 25 US corporate giants such as Uber, Amazon, and Google, along with over 40 senior executives, held comprehensive contacts with public and private sector representatives over two days in areas that align with Turkey's growth, investment, production, technology, and foreign trade goals.

Within the scope of the program, both high-level meetings and technical sessions were held on topics directly linked to Turkey's economic priorities.

Intensive Ankara program with high-level contacts

As part of the second day of the program, US-Turkey Business Council Chairman Hamdi Ulukaya was received by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the Presidential Complex.

Ulukaya briefed President Erdoğan on the inter-delegation meetings and conveyed the determination of American companies to continue investing in line with their belief in Turkey. He pointed out that the delegation's visit to Turkey for the second time within a year, and in an even larger capacity, following the CEO roundtable meeting hosted by President Erdoğan on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September 2025, is a concrete indicator of the confidence the American business world has in Turkey.

Within the scope of the program, meetings were also held with numerous high-level figures, primarily Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler, Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum, Minister of Health Prof. Dr. Kemal Memişoğlu, Minister of Trade Ömer Bolat, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar, Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Şimşek, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, and Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır.

The delegation also met with US Chargé d'Affaires in Ankara Maria Olson for an evaluation meeting, and held comprehensive discussions with Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz and TOBB President Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu at a roundtable dinner held at the TOBB Twin Towers.

Hamdi Ulukaya: “We are here with the belief in growing together with Turkey”

Hamdi Ulukaya said the following in his assessment after the contacts:

“Every time I come to Turkey, I feel the same thing more strongly: The potential of this country lies not only in the numbers, but in its people, its vision, and its will to produce. We did not come to Ankara just to talk; we came to listen, to understand, to grow partnerships, and to lend a shoulder for a long-term future. The size and quality of this delegation send a powerful message on its own. The companies coming from America are not here with a short-term interest, but with the belief in growing together with Turkey. This broad picture, extending from energy to health, from technology to infrastructure, shows what a solid foundation the economic relationship between the two countries has.”

Emphasizing that the economic relationship between Turkey and the US is not limited to trade volume, Ulukaya noted:

“The strongest side of the business world is its ability to produce concrete results in different areas simultaneously. On one hand, we talk about investment; on the other, we grow employment, technology, skill development, sustainability, and social benefit. I believe that the bond between Turkey and America will strengthen even further in the coming period. This delegation has been one of the clearest indicators of this.”

Investment, trade, and strategic cooperation agenda stood out

In the meetings held throughout the Ankara contacts, topics such as increasing the trade volume between Turkey and the US, strengthening the investment environment in line with the 100 billion dollar joint trade target, increasing inter-sectoral coordination, energy transition, preventive approaches in healthcare, advanced technology investments, digital infrastructure, supply chains, defense industry collaborations, and the opportunities offered by the COP31 process were among the prominent headings.

In the meetings, Turkey's 12th Development Plan, programs supporting high-tech investments, energy supply security goals, digitalization in health and preventive health vision, trade facilitation, critical infrastructure investments, and transformation topics within the scope of the climate agenda were discussed in detail.

The contacts that the US-Turkey Business Council has been maintaining with increasing intensity over the last two years show that the commercial and economic relationship between the two countries is strengthening further on an institutional basis. This latest program, which concluded in Ankara, revealed that the confidence the US business world has in Turkey is supported not only at the level of discourse but also with direct contact, a concrete agenda, and long-term commitment.