Türkiye-U.S. Business Council (TAİK) is the oldest and most prominent bilateral trade organization between Türkiye and the United States, established in 1985 through the visionary leadership of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan and former Turkish Prime Minister Turgut Özal.
Our member companies represent Türkiye’s leading private enterprises, collectively supporting billions of dollars in direct investment in the United States and contributing to the American economy through the employment of tens of thousands of American workers.
MISSION
Our mission is to advance and strengthen U.S.–Türkiye economic relations by fostering strategic partnerships, supporting mutual investment, and facilitating business collaboration. TAIK is mandated to:
- Encourage business development and industrial cooperation between the U.S. and Türkiye.
- Improve the conditions for bilateral trade, foreign direct investment and joint investments in Third countries
- Identify opportunities in key sectors for U.S. states and cities for mutually beneficial business development
- To promote Turkish business and investment in the United States, while encouraging U.S. business engagement and investment in Türkiye.
- Provide content and reports on deepening bilateral trade, mutual investments, and Economic cooperation between the U.S. and Türkiye.
ACTIVITIES
TAİK creates platforms that strengthen economic relations between Türkiye and the U.S., undertaking an array of activities ranging from high profile investment summits to briefings, conferences and networking dinners, including:
- Hosting meetings and receptions for TAİK members with American business delegations visiting Türkiye, as well as for Turkish delegations visiting the United States.
- Organizing meetings with high-level government officials, businesspeople and NGOs. American dignitaries TAİK has hosted include former U.S. President Bill Clinton, former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, former, former U.S. Secretaries of State Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton, former U.S. Secretaries of Commerce Robert Mosbacher, William Daley, Penny Pritzker and Wilbur Ross as well as former U.S. Secretaries of Energy Spencer Abraham and Samuel Bodman, and former U.S. Secretaries of Defense Robert M. Gates, Leon Panetta and Chuck Hagel;
- Hosting briefing seminars for visiting delegations from leading U.S. institutions, including representatives of local economic development organizations such as the Greater Houston Partnership and Denver Economic Development & Opportunity; sector-focused delegations organized by counterpart institutions such as the American Turkish Business Roundtable and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; and representatives of various U.S. government institutions, including the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Export–Import Bank of the United States (EXIM Bank).
- Organizing events in the United States to attract investment to Türkiye, including the Türkiye Investment Conference (TRICON), held in New York City on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Week, highlighting Türkiye’s economic potential and investment opportunities.
LEADERSHIP
TAİK’s Chair is elected by its member companies on a bi-yearly basis. TAİK has been led by prominent business executive Murat Özyeğin and supported by a global network of businesspeople, entrepreneurs, and political decision-makers.
TAİK’s Executive Committee consists of top-level businesspeople from Türkiye’s most prominent companies. Since its foundation, noteworthy executives such as Ersin Faralyalı, Feyyaz Berker, Sedat Aloğlu, Mustafa Koç, Akın Öngör, Dr. Vural Akışık, Dr. Yılmaz Argüden, Ferit F. Şahenk, Haluk Dinçer, Şerif Egeli, Ekim Alptekin, and Mehmet Ali Yalçındağ have chaired the Business Council.
BACKGROUND
DEİK, the Turkish private sector’s gateway to international markets, was founded in 1986 to develop and monitor Türkiye’s economic, commercial, industrial and financial relations with foreign countries and international organizations. It has 91 founding institutions, representing all sectors of the Turkish private sector.
As of February 2026, there are 153 business councils operating under the DEİK umbrella, with TAİK being the oldest. TAİK benefits from the active support of both the Turkish and U.S. governments and has strategic relationships with various business development organizations in the U.S. for the coordination of events that promote bilateral trade.
STATE-LEVEL COMMITTEES
To further enhance Turkish-American business relations, TAİK is extending its scope by establishing state-level Committees in California, Florida, Massachusetts, New York and Texas.
TASK FORCES
To advance its work in key priority areas, TAİK has established the following Task Forces: $100 Billion Trade Task Force, 2 Million Tourist Task Force, Third Country Partnership Task Force, Digital Task Force, Select Türkiye Task Force and Select USA Task Force.
ANNUAL EVENTS
TÜRKİYE INVESTMENT CONFERENCE (TRICON)
Türkiye Investment Conference (TRICON) is held annually in New York City during the United Nations General Assembly Week in September. It is a vital platform for providing insights into Türkiye's economy and investment opportunities. The three-day series of events brings together H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Türkiye, and Turkish cabinet ministers with Fortune 100 companies and leading corporate investors in the U.S., providing a forum for dialogue, collaboration, and the development of strategic partnerships across key sectors.
AMERICAN TURKISH CONFERENCE (ATC)
American–Turkish Conference (ATC) is an annual event held in Washington, D.C., jointly organized by the American Turkish Business Roundtable (ATBR), the Türkiye–U.S. Business Council (TAIK), and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The conference features discussions on key topics including bilateral investment, energy, defense, and 3rd Country Partnerships, with the aim of strengthening economic cooperation and bilateral relations. Over the years, the ATC has hosted prominent figures such as former U.S. President Joe Biden, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, former U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye James Jerey, and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford.
GO! GLOBAL Türkiye
GO! GLOBAL Türkiye unites Türkiye’s startup ecosystem with leading global venture capital firms through a precision-matching approach that maximizes partnership potential. The summit offers local founders, family offices and VC’s a chance to connect with world-class investors, showcase innovations and gain insights from experienced entrepreneurs. Investors engage early with ambitious startups curated to scale globally from day one. GO! GLOBAL Türkiye’s aim is to build legendary companies shaping the future of global technology.
PARTNERSHIP
TAİK conducts its activities in close collaboration with its counterpart institutions in the United States, forming a structured transatlantic business diplomacy platform that supports bilateral trade, investment, and strategic cooperation. Through these institutional partnerships at the national and state levels, TAİK provides a structured and sustainable framework for advancing Türkiye–U.S. economic relations.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
As TAİK’s first institutional counterpart, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business organization, representing companies of all sizes and sectors across the United States. Through our longstanding partnership, TAİK and the Chamber convene high-level dialogues, promote policy alignment, and support initiatives that enhance bilateral economic cooperation and private-sector engagement since 1985.
American Turkish Business Roundtable (ATBR)
ATBR is a member-only organization that represents the interests of the Turkish and American private sectors. Its governing body facilitates strategic commercial cooperation between the two nations. ATBR enables its members to consult and collaborate on industry-related issues—primarily in defense, aerospace, and energy—with the aim of solving problems, building trust, and stabilizing relations in the long run.
Greater Houston Partnership (GHP)
At the state level, TAİK also collaborates with key regional institutions. In Texas, TAİK’s counterpart is the Greater Houston Partnership (GHP), one of the most influential regional economic development organizations in the United States. This partnership supports sectoral cooperation in energy, petrochemicals, advanced manufacturing, logistics, and space technologies, while fostering direct engagement between Turkish companies and the Texas business ecosystem.
