Trade Minister Bolat warned that trade wars are expected to intensify in the near future.

```html

Trade Minister Ömer Bolat stated, "Starting from 2026, the share of the earthquake in the state budget will decrease significantly, and there will be a great relief. This will hopefully be distributed fairly to all segments of society, and it will also relieve our economy, our industrialists, our farmers, our tradesmen, our retirees, and our SMEs."

Bolat, in his speech at the 50th Anniversary program of the Konya Chamber of Industry held at the Selçuklu Congress Center, which was also attended by Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır, emphasized the great importance of the unity and solidarity in the city for Konya to become one of the leading industrial cities in the country.

"IT'S LIKE A MINEFIELD"

Expressing that they are working intensively for both Konya and other provinces of Turkey, Bolat said, "The world is going through great hardships. We are sadly witnessing and experiencing the hot wars and conflicts to our north and south. Protectionist tendencies are gaining ground in world trade. We observe that the new administration coming to the USA has already announced very serious customs duty increases for some countries. This means that trade will become even more intense in the world, and competition will become fiercer. It's like a minefield. Within this minefield, we are determined to bring our country back to a period of strong political stability, strong economic stability, and strong growth that increases the welfare level of its people."

Bolat pointed out that the country has gone through significant hardships in the last five years, stating that first the COVID-19 pandemic and then the wars shook the region, causing disruptions in trade, tourism, and many other areas.

"OUR PER CAPITA INCOME WILL BE 14,515 DOLLARS"

Recalling the great disaster caused by the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquake, Bolat continued: "If we can heal the wounds of disasters like the pandemic, war, and earthquake within 1-2 years, relief will spread rapidly and be distributed equally to all segments of society. To keep the economy afloat after inflation, the pandemic, war, and earthquake, low-interest financing support was provided to both the segments of society, our citizens, and industrialists who want to invest, as well as to the agricultural sectors, and our economy managed to stay afloat. Turkey has been growing for 16 quarters, even in an environment where these hardships exist. Our national income has exceeded 1.2 trillion dollars. By the end of this year, we may even see 1.3 trillion dollars. We have exceeded 13,230 dollars in per capita national income. By the end of the year, we will be able to see 14,515 dollars.

"THE DECLINE IN INFLATION WILL ACCELERATE"

Bolat emphasized that Turkey is becoming stronger in exports and tourism every day, and noted: "Please do not underestimate what we have achieved and obtained. These were significant successes, but this nation deserves more. Our country will climb to better places in the world economic league. Today, we are the 17th largest economy, and we will reach better places than the 11th largest economy according to purchasing power parity. These are the positive sides of the glass. Are there no problems? Of course, there are. Due to the financing supports provided sometimes to relieve the economy during the pandemic, war, and earthquake periods, and the unfortunately unwanted high price increases due to rising demand, we have entered an inflationary process. All countries in the world have entered this process. The USA has entered, Europe has entered, Japan has entered, and the Far East has entered. All countries in the world have experienced this process, and generally, measures are being taken against inflation by cooling down demands with tight monetary policies. Thank God, inflation, which rose to 76%, has decreased to 48.5% since June, in terms of CPI. The disinflationary process will accelerate next year, and with God's permission, we are working with all our might to close the next year with figures slightly above 20 in inflation.

Bolat expressed that with Konya's strengthening industry and trade, it has started to become the locomotive of development and growth in Anatolia, emphasizing that the Ministry of Trade will continue to provide the necessary support and services.

Describing the support given to exporters and the opportunities provided, Bolat made the following evaluations: "As we reduce inflation, the expenditures exceeding 2 trillion spent so far regarding the earthquake will also be a significant expenditure next year, and starting from 2025, the share of the earthquake in the state budget will decrease significantly, and there will be a great relief. This will hopefully be distributed fairly to all segments of society, and it will also relieve our economy, our industrialists, our farmers, our tradesmen, our retirees, and our SMEs."