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Begüm Doğulu, who also addressed the criticism directed at her, said:

"People say to me, ‘Ms. Begüm sponsors all the fairs abroad, hosts opening cocktail parties, spends money everywhere as a Turk.’ Is this shameful, is it bad? I am turning 56. I am not saying, 'I have no children, I take care of myself with the money I earn.' My children are the 28,000 students currently studying at maritime faculties. There are 14 maritime faculties, 50 maritime vocational high schools, and 7 colleges. These children are the children of this country, and we need to provide them with employment. To do this, we need to be sustainable. That's why I established an integrated facility to provide these children with jobs in different fields."

Emphasizing that Mercedes Benz's representation in Turkey is a result of sustainability, Doğulu said, "I put my name on this business. For 35 years, under the same name... The reason I want to play such a leading role abroad is to represent my country in the best possible way by telling foreign yacht owners, 'A Turk dresses like this, speaks your language, is in the same field as you, and has the same knowledge and culture. Year after year, I proved to them Turkey, Turkish quality, and the reliability of Turks through every project I worked on, every conversation I had, and every fair I attended. I believe I add value to my country. I fight for the branding of my country rather than myself."

“I don't believe the sector has been explained to the state”

Emphasizing that NGOs need to work much more seriously, the CEO of Begüm Yatch said: "I include the DTO in this. Shipping is not just about maritime transport and shipowning. Currently, most DTO members are companies and agencies in the south engaged in yachting, water sports, diving, and similar activities. With so many companies involved in yachting, it should be properly explained to the government. I don't believe the sector has been explained to the government in any way. You can't get anywhere with just 3-5 efforts. You can't swim across the ocean with just a few strokes. Let's not blame the government here. The government is a mechanism; we need to go and press the right buttons. I am the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Yacht Tourism Association. I devote all my energy to yachting to explain the needs to the end. As an association, we worked seriously with the ministry and took the initiative to issue a license called a yacht charter license to legalize the commercial activities of foreign-flagged boats in Turkey. The government also put this into action. Many of my colleagues were not happy about this. They said, 'We used to have 300 yachts coming, now we have

Regarding VAT on boats and yachts under 24 meters, Doğulu said, “This is for foreign-flagged commercial vessels,” adding, "Those under 39 meters are not subject to licensing. But those above must obtain a license from the Ministry of Tourism and make the relevant payments. Second-hand boats under 24 meters. Whether it's GİSBİR or the Yacht Exporters Association, they need to sit down with the government and remove many taxes on Turkish commercial yachts to encourage this. The VAT for manufacturers should be 1%."

“There is no Turkish yacht code, how will you build a yacht flying the Turkish flag?”

"When I last built boats flying the Turkish flag, we couldn't bring the materials we purchased VAT-free into the country, we couldn't buy them. When the tax officer granted the VAT exemption, he said, ‘The limit has been reached.’ The man said to me, 'I won't give VAT exemption for beds and TVs. Beds and TVs are luxury items.‘ We're building a super-luxury yacht—should it be without a TV? The official says, 'What do I care?’“ Doğulu continued: ”This is the fault of those who can't explain the issue to the government. We say we're number two in the world, but how did we get there? We're number two in terms of the number of boats. Foreigners come and have yachts built under the Cayman Islands flag. There is no Turkish yacht code in Turkey. How can you build a yacht flying the Turkish flag in such a country? We submitted 20 exemption requests to the state. It prolonged the construction and hassle of the yacht. My relationship with Rina got complicated. As the process dragged on, I had to pay more money. Why can't they explain it to the state? I ask the NGO presidents about this. You don't have a yacht code, so you can build foreign-flagged boats. Because they are foreign-flagged, you bring the materials in transit from abroad and install them. The designer, engineer, and parts are foreign. You earn money from labor here. This is not Turkey's pride. Turkey's pride is ensuring that there are pure and clear rules in maritime affairs."

Begüm Doğulu, who stated that a Maritime Authority should be established, said, "You are doing business with the sea. The Ministries of Interior, Tourism, Agriculture, Environment, Health, Transportation, and Trade are involved. How will you deal with seven ministries? When the port captain comes for security reasons on a yacht, he asks, ‘Where is this rescue boat?’. The tax office clerk says it's ‘unnecessary’. Where should I go for this?"

Emphasizing that yacht captaincy is a profession, Doğulu said, "Not everyone who gets a license can be a yacht captain. You need to undergo specific training. I don't think it's right to grant permission to operate a boat so easily. We are experiencing the painful consequences of this. The port authority spends its time chasing accidents. Careless behavior ultimately leads to people getting injured or killed. There should be a Maritime Authority, a patron of seafaring. In seafaring and yachting, we should have either black or white rules," he said.

“We are in talks with the ministry to make it mandatory for every company to have interns.”

Begüm Doğulu, who said she attended the DÖDER congress at the beginning of the season in Antalya, emphasized the importance of students finding internships and employment after graduation, saying: "I was invited to many different universities. I gave a speech at the graduation ceremony of Ordu University. Students from Atatürk, Bilkent, Boğaziçi, ITU, and Piri Reis (PRÜ) universities invited me to speak. I shared my life experiences there, sending messages to both the public and them.

DTO says, 'We opened PRÜ, we trained this many students, we are training them.' What did you do to ensure that the state imposed quotas on companies involved in maritime activities for the mandatory internships that these students must complete during their graduation? You opened the university, and the students came. What did you do to provide employment for the students? Isn't it shameful for them to have to go and beg for mandatory internships?

As an association, we are in talks with Minister Ömer Bolat. We want to introduce a requirement for every company involved in shipping to employ interns based on their turnover, volume, and size... So that these kids can get the opportunity to do an internship. That is what service is all about. Opening a university is a great service, but you also need to provide employment.

There are no non-professionals on yachts. Foreigners are reluctant to board Turkish yachts. But they are not benefiting from these young people. Why? University graduates want year-round work, they want social security. They will ask for it. Was it easy for these young people to study? They have received their education, they have built their careers. These young people will not embarrass you. Exceptions do not break the rule."

“Opening a grocery store is easier than opening an agency.”

Stating that they want the Agency Regulation, which will bring the sector under control, to be issued, Doğulu said: "Opening a grocery store is easier than opening an agency. Agencies are the country's gateway to the outside world. Yacht and ship agencies must meet certain criteria. The situation is out of control. There is incredible inflation. Someone who stays at an agency for a year opens an agency the next year.

There are A, B, and C group agencies in TURSAB. They say that if you want to do comprehensive tourism, you have to be an A group agency. The requirements for this are more expensive.

Agencies say, 'Should we die or not do business? Brother, if you don't have money in your pocket, why are you running an agency? They say it's a capitalist way of thinking. No, it's not. This is how it should be. The state should not be governed by the behavior of its citizens.

In Göcek, people have opened agencies for 50,000 lira. Residence permits have been obtained for foreign citizens. Wherever there are illegal immigrants, they have obtained residence permits by showing them working on yachts. The Immigration Office says, ‘I'm not giving permits to foreigners anymore; these agents are scammers.’ I'm one of those agents. Am I a scammer? The state gives a permit to anyone who pays 50,000; should I be labeled like this because 70% of them are scammers? I've dedicated my life to this. The state should stop this disgrace."