President Sadıkoğlu demanded the cancellation of KOSGEB loan debts.

Oğuzhan Ata Sadıkoğlu, Chairman of the Board of Malatya Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MTSO), stated that earthquake-affected businesses still lack the financial capacity to repay KOSGEB loans and called on authorities to either write off the loan debts or postpone them for at least 2 years.

The installments of the repayable loans provided by KOSGEB under the "Post-Earthquake Revival Support Program for Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises" will begin to be repaid in February and March 2026.

"COMMERCIAL LIFE HAS NOT RETURNED TO PRE-FEBRUARY 6 LEVELS"

Chairman Sadıkoğlu emphasized that earthquake-affected businesses still lack the capacity to repay loan installments and made a critical appeal to authorities: "The disaster of the century we experienced on February 6 deeply shook Malatya. According to official figures, 27,500 workplaces and offices remain unusable. Businesses operating in these locations are either functioning in rented alternative spaces or struggling to survive in containers. In Malatya, where over 4,000 businesses are striving to operate in 21-square-meter spaces, commercial life has not returned to pre-February 6 levels. Thousands of our businesses end the day without a single sale. Our small and medium-sized enterprises are spending their days in anxiety over the approaching KOSGEB loan installment payments."

SADIKOĞLU'S REQUEST FOR WRITING OFF LOAN DEBTS

Chairman Sadıkoğlu stated, "The loans provided by KOSGEB were a vital lifeline for businesses under the conditions of that time. We once again extend our gratitude on behalf of our members to our Minister of Industry and Technology, Mr. Mehmet Fatih Kacır, and KOSGEB President, Mr. Ahmet Serdar İbrahimcioğlu. However, repayments for these loans are set to begin in the upcoming February and March. In an environment where thousands of our tradespeople are struggling to conduct business in temporary locations, it is impossible for them to repay loan installments. Therefore, we demand that the loan debts be either written off or postponed for at least 2 years. Our request is not only for Malatya but also for Hatay, Adıyaman, Kahramanmaraş, and the entire earthquake-affected region. We have formally conveyed our request to the relevant institutions. We wholeheartedly believe that our President and Minister will heed our call for the earthquake region."