Project Marble Eurasia – Natural Stone, Marble Project and Technologies Fair was organized by Istanbul Mineral Exporters’ Association and took place between August 23-26.
The fair pleased both the participants and visitors. Throughout the fair spreading over 15,000 sqm of indoor and outdoor space, 80% of the exhibited block marbles have been sold in the first day of the event.
The umbrella organization of Turkish natural stone industry, Turkish Marbles and Minerals Foundation also presented saplings to participants.
Regarding the long and compelling process, Ali Kahyaoğlu, the Board Chairman of IMIB who has the biggest part in establishing the Istanbul Marble Fair, said: “We have encountered many obstacles in the organization process of this fair. They created difficulties and unfortunately even my own management team has struggled with me to prevent organizing this fair. When I came in just a while ago, I had colleagues saying, ‘It’s more than enough if three busloads of foreigners come to this fair’. I express my sincere thanks to all of them and those who have contributed. We worked together with my team for 8 months to bring the fair to this level although everyone had to work day and night. Thankfully we made it. I hope next year the fair will be bursting at the seams. I wish the fair will bring everyone prosperity and prolificacy. I need to make a little reminder. We have received many reactions about the ‘procurement committee’. Industry executives stood against me asking ‘what is a procurement committee?’. Some of them even said, ‘they are coming here to wander around’. But we think we have killed three birds with one stone. We are going to host all the guests who came here in the Bosphorus for two nights and show them around the historical and touristic areas of Istanbul. We will try to break the unjust and bad reputation of Turkey after July 15. Our guests have seen that there is no problem here in terms of tourism. Everyone is traveling around comfortably. I believe that when these guests we have hosted return to their countries, they will tell about us in a good way and say that the speculations do not reflect the truth. Once again, I welcome you all and give my best regards.”
Throughout the fair, approximately 500 foreign buyers who were welcomed within the scope of URGE, have visited the booths. While many firms have received orders, machine manifacturers sold their products they have brought along. Representation agreements have been signed in bilateral negotiations, especially with the machinery companies. Along with established commercial ties, almost every fair participant left the event on a happy note.
Prof. Erdoğan Yüzer and Engr. Yaşar Yılmaz took the floor in the seminar which has been conducted in the second day of the fair. In his presentation, Prof. Erdoğan Yüzer made a speech about the improvement and current position of the marble industry in our country. Addressing the issues about marble and the industry, Yüzer said: “If you quarry 100 tons of marble, you need to dispose more than 90 tons of waste. This will also cause a massive environment problem. Each day, tons of waste add up and you need to utilize them. We need to store. Otherwise, you throw the waste on marble and eventually you will try to remove it to reach the surface of marble. Turkey is faced with this problem which Carrara has encountered before.”
As for Engr. Yaşar Yılmaz, he gave insight into historical artifacts that were smuggled from our country. Stating that the awareness around this topic needs to be expanded, Yılmaz said: “Visitors who have been to Berlin Pergamon Museum brought in 1 billion euros in 9 years. In 1863, Germans started to plunder Pergamon. In 2017, they are still doing excavation work there. If the opposite would have happened, would Germans stay silent? Why do we keep still about it, are we cowards? Are we ignorant? If we are a nation as a whole, the west look down on us and they are right. Germans have taken a marketplace of 33 meters and revitalized it in Berlin. However, there is the other side of the medallion. Would Germans sell a gravestone inherited from their ancestors? We do. The road to salvation passes by awareness.”
