Greetings from the first issue of 2017

First and foremost, I wish that 2017 brings peace and health to our entire country and humanity. For without these two concepts, nothing has meaning. We must hold on tightly to life without losing hope and without abandoning tolerance. Where there is no hope, it is hardly possible to give life meaning, so we must guide our lives through our hopes and dreams toward a beautiful future. In the January-February issue of Turkchem Magazine, we featured export data from İKMİB. The chemistry sector achieved USD 14 billion in exports in 2016, with an expected export target of USD 15.5 billion for 2017. You can find detailed information in our Sector Report section about which countries received our exports and in what volumes during 2016. I recommend you also examine the comprehensive 2016 assessment covering all months. As a sector, I wish that we reach the expected targets in 2017. In this issue, we have included 3 interviews that you will enjoy reading. We conducted a pleasant conversation with Sayın Ömer Erdem, Founder and General Manager of Sartonet. Erdem provided detailed information about Sartorius and Sartonet products and services. In another interview we conducted, Sayın Yunus Emre Karahan, Founder and General Manager of Aleph Trade, answered our questions. Karahan emphasized that they are a young and dynamic team, noted that they place importance on the African market, and reported that they have taken very positive steps in this market through Afro Turco projects. In our interview with Sayın Özgür İncekara, Chairman of the Board of İncekaralar, we discussed the company's activities and social responsibility campaigns. Hoping this will be an issue you will enjoy reading. Best regards.