​​​​​ANKARA

Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz said Friday that Türkiye is among the countries shaping the future of halal trade with its strong industrial infrastructure, qualified human resources and deep-rooted experience,

The four-day World Halal Summit and Halal Expo kicked off Wednesday in Istanbul, bringing together sector participants under the main theme of "Strengthening Halal Industry via Innovation and Excellence."

The 11th edition of the event runs through Saturday, under the auspices of the Turkish presidency, with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and several institutions, including the Turkish Trade Ministry and the Halal Accreditation Agency. Anadolu is the event's global communications partner.

Yilmaz sent a video message to the summit to state that the growing global interest in halal products and services, goods and services prepared or offered in line with Islamic guidelines, demonstrates that the clean, safe and healthy production approach envisioned by Islam is socially and economically viable.

He added that the halal economy has now exceeded $7 trillion.

He stated that the size indicates that standards in the area have evolved into a structure that meets not only the needs of Muslim societies but also global consumer expectations.

"In this context, the halal economy has become a strategic area that enhances production quality, strengthens trust in trade and creates new opportunities for cooperation among Islamic countries.

"Our country played a leading role in establishing the Islamic Forum of Halal Accreditation Bodies, the international institution that will undertake the multilateral recognition of halal certificates based on OIC/SMIIC standards, contributing to the shaping of a framework that is considered a global reference," he said.

Yilmaz said that the successful organization of the summit and forum for the 11th consecutive year under the auspices of the Turkish Presidency demonstrates the importance Türkiye places on the halal economy.

He also stressed that Türkiye's vision and leadership demonstrate the country's strong will to shape the standards, direction and future of not only the regional but also the global halal ecosystem.

Yilmaz emphasized that both events, which bring together companies in a wide range of areas from food and cosmetics to textiles, organic products to tourism and health care, offer new trade, investment and cooperation opportunities to all actors in the halal industry.