Trade among countries brings peace, says İTO head

ISTANBUL

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Trade is a bridge that can be used to foster peace all around the world, according to the head of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (İTO), İbrahim Çağlar.

“Trade is one of the bridges that extends to peace. The possibility that countries that are in reciprocal trade relations would engage in war is far less than that of countries that are not conducting trade among each other,” Çağlar said April 6 at the opening ceremony of the 19th Eurasian Economic Summit organized by the Marmara Group Foundation in Istanbul.

Çağlar said countries needed to focus on trade rather than topics of conflict in order to improve relations among countries and thus achieve global peace.

In an attempt to reach this goal, Çağlar said reviving the Silk Road, which is also one of the main topics of discussion at the 19th Eurasian Economic Summit, was a key step.

“We need to revive the Silk Road through sea and land roads,” he said, adding that this would also enhance relations among countries located not only in the Eurasian region but also with other states around the world.

“Come, let us evaluate trade for international peace,” Çağlar said in a call to all participants at the summit, which included current and former presidents, prime ministers, ministers and religious leaders in the wider Eurasian region.

In so doing, human tragedies, such as that of 3-year-old Syrian boy Alan Kurdi, whose death on a Turkish beach last year shone a light on the ongoing migrant tragedy emanating from Syria, would cease to end, Çağlar said.