Our President Mr. Birol Küle has sent a letter to the competition authorities of Islamic countries on the occasion of the month of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr. (03.04.2024) (16.4.2024)
As known well, Turkish Competition Authority (TCA) keeps abreast of developments regarding competition law enforcement over a wide region from Balkans to Central Asia, from Caucasus to Africa, where our country enjoys deep seated political and economic as well as historical and cultural ties. We also provide them with training support and share our 27-year long experience through cooperation agreements. At the same time, we bring together representatives of the colleague authorities from the same geography and beyond with an eye to exchanging information and ideas, under the umbrella of Istanbul Competition Forum which is jointly organized with UNCTAD and has almost become an international brand.
More specifically, while we aim to bring together the competition authorities of Balkan countries under the title of “Balkan Initiative” on the one hand, we cultivate relations with fellow authorities of the Turkic World under the auspices of Organization of Turkic States on the other. As will be remembered, such drive came to fruition and we have started “Competition Council of Turkic States” in January of the present year.
Undoubtedly, the relations with Islamic countries are another leg of the same vision.
Within this framework, in 2022, TCA had sent the first letter to Islamic countries with an active competition authority on the occasion of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr for enhancing fraternal relations and the spirit of cooperation as well as reminding common cultural roots. Likewise, this year’s Ramadan letter has been sent to 25 countries encompassing a vast territory from Azerbaijan to Gambia, from Albania to Indonesia.
The letters, beyond mere greetings, aim to breathe new life into modern competition law practices, based on Quranic verses, hadiths, Islamic jurisprudence and historical experience. They also serve to highlight the studies in this area today, promote future studies and raise awareness in fellow muslim countries on the subject. While TCA wishes to form a basis for cooperation and solidarity amongst the competition authorities of Islamic countries this way, the positive reactions coming from them makes us hopeful in this regard.
The Ramadan letter for the year 2024 is available on the link below: