Speaking at the closing of MUSIAD Expo 2026, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country’s economy had maintained uninterrupted growth for 24 consecutive quarters, or 6 years, adding that Turkey currently ranks 16th among the world’s largest economies and sixth in Europe.
Expanding exporter base
Erdogan said Turkey would continue working to achieve sustainable and balanced growth, as the country’s exporter base expands.
He said the number of companies engaged in exports had risen from about 33,000 in 2002 to 168,000 in 2025, more than fivefold.
60,000 companies and 3 million employees
Erdogan said the Independent Industrialists and Businessmen’s Association, known as MUSIAD, represents more than 60,000 companies employing about 3 million people, and has more than 14,000 members in Turkey and abroad through 184 branches and representative offices in 84 countries.
Warning over artificial intelligence development
In another part of his speech, the Turkish president warned that developing artificial intelligence without giving sufficient consideration to people and human values could lead to outcomes contrary to the intended gains.
Erdogan stressed that technologies, software and algorithms could cause harm rather than deliver benefits if they failed to respect human values, calling for economic and trade relations to be continually reviewed in light of core values.
