Mr. Ahmet Çalık, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Çalık Holding, has been awarded "The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon" by His Majesty the Emperor of Japan. This honor recognizes Mr. Çalık's contributions as a major foreign investor in Albania and Kosovo through his company's investments in banking and telecommunications.

In a ceremony attended by representatives from the Japanese Business Community, Mr. Çalık expressed gratitude for the award, stating: “The Order of the Rising Sun” awarded to me by Japanese Emperor shows the deep friendship between Turkey and Japan." He emphasized that this accolade is a testament to over 30 years of cooperation between Turkish and Japanese companies.

Mr. Çalık highlighted that partnerships with Japanese companies began in the 1990s and have involved mutual respect and commitment. He credited the Japanese Business Community for their role in his receiving this honor.

He also expressed optimism about future collaborations with Mitsubishi Corporation and support from Japanese Credit Institutions: "I wholeheartedly believe that even greater success shall be reached."

Following last July's ceremony in Istanbul where he received this high order, Mr. Çalık met with members of the Japanese Business Community in Tokyo at an event hosted by Keidanren. Attendees included Turkish Ambassador Murat Mercan, Japanese Ambassador Akio Miyajima, Isao Iijima from Japan's Council of Ministers, Yasuo Nakayama from SECOM Company, Atsushi Maekawa from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group, Takehiko Kakiuchi from Mitsubishi Corporation, along with other high-level leaders and potential investors.

Çalık Holding operates across 22 countries employing 25,000 people in sectors such as energy, construction, mining, textiles, finance, telecommunications, and digitalization. The company is noted for its strong financial structure and innovative business models aimed at sustainable development.

In 2015, a partnership agreement was signed between Çalık Enerji and Mitsubishi Corporation. In 2019 Secom Company partnered with Aktif Bank to establish a joint venture focusing on security and life technologies.