Turkey, at the crossroads of continents

In this interview Nanda Jagusiak-Monteiro speaks with the Ambassador of Turkey, H.E. Mr. Saban Disli

H.E. Mr. Saban Disli, Ambassador of Turkey

Former posts: 1996-2003 Director of Demir Halk Bank in the Netherlands; Member of the Turkish Parliament

Relations between Turkey and the Netherlands were established in early 17th century. What would you like to share with us on the starting point of these relations? In 1612 the first Dutch Ambassador, Cornelius Haga arrived in İstanbul and was granted the document named “Ahidname” by Sultan Ahmet I. With this development, the Ottoman State was one of the first countries in Europe to have diplomatically recognized the Netherlands and then Dutch merchants intensified their activities within the jurisdiction of the Empire. Today the Dutch National Archives still hold this precious document which is longer than three meters.

Now I am glad to be able to confidently state that Turkey and the Netherlands have proven the strong, peaceful and friendly nature of their bilateral relations in the course of history. For example, the two countries have never been parties to the same war on the battlefield. Also, from the humanitarian perspective, the Ottomans, despite having had to allocate ample resources for the Balkan Wars and the World War I, did contribute to the Netherlands for the victims of the flood of 1916 (Zuiderzee vloed).

I should also mention that the Netherlands was one of the first countries to have signed a “Friendship Agreement” with the young Turkish Republic following her foundation in 1923.

Which observations do you have regarding the characteristics of the Turkish and Dutch people in particular and how would you describe the current state of bilateral relations? For starters, one can easily observe the Turkish hospitality and Dutch straightforwardness. The common denominator would be the entrepreneurial spirit.

During the time I was working in the banking sector and living in the Netherlands, I had the opportunity to closely observe the impact of the financial history of the Netherlands, one of the most advanced economic and financial systems. experience, mainly due to the fact that Turkish-Dutch relations are deep-rooted historically, economically and politically. Located in different corners of Europe, our two countries are Allies. We share common values as members of the same international organizations such as the Council of Europe and the OSCE. Our countries face common challenges.

In the political sphere, we have a regular consultation mechanism called the “Turkish-Dutch Bilateral Conference” or the “Wittenburg Conference”. This Conference is co-chaired by the Turkish and the Dutch Foreign Ministers and in fact is named after the castle where it was organized for the first time in 2008. The said mechanism provides the opportunity to treat bilateral and global matters as well as potential cooperation areas. Due to the pandemic, its most recent meeting was held through videoconference on 27 January 2021.

There are numerous spheres of cooperation between our two countries, including counterterrorism, migration and economy. There is always an intense traffic of consultations. Turkey’s strategic importance as a country at the crossroads of continents and civilizations is, I believe, an asset that our Dutch friends are very well aware of.

How do you evaluate the Turkish-Dutch economic relations today? The pandemic continues to heavily affect the world. In Turkey, we keep the balance between public health and functioning of supply chains. Export and import flows are vital for our economies. Europe is the largest trade partner of Turkey, and Turkey is the EU’s 6th largest export and import partner. Turkey is also Europe’s gateway to Eastern markets.

I have to mention the keyword “cooperation” once more, this time to underline the spirit of our bilateral trade and investment relations. We gladly observe that the pandemic has only slightly affected our bilateral trade volume which was 9,6 billion Euros in 2019 and 9,5 billion Euros in 2020. The top Turkish exports to the Netherlands are textiles products and household durable goods, whereas the major Dutch exports to Turkey are composed of iron and steel-based products and pharmaceuticals.

In terms of direct investments, we are pleased to observe that both Turkish and Dutch investors keep investing in the Dutch and Turkish economies, thus reflecting their positive opinion related to the investment environment in the two countries. Influx of investments by the Netherlands-based firms in Turkey amounted to 26,6 billion USD between 2002 and March 2020, and the stock of Dutch direct investments in Turkey stood around 31,3 billion USD as of December 2019. Currently, more than 3000 Dutch companies are active in Turkey in a wide range of sectors from trade to construction etc. The pandemic has had a limiting impact on the organization of events in general. Has your Embassy been able to overcome this obstacle and organize cultural events recently? Despite the pandemic, we have managed to organize a few cultural events. For example, in December 2020, we co-hosted a photo exhibition entitled “Unity in Diversity,” together with the embassies of other MIKTA-member countries; Mexico, Indonesia, Korea and Australia. The exhibition took place in the Yunus Emre Institute (the Turkish Cultural Center in Amsterdam) and introduced the UNESCO cultural heritages of the five countries. The main idea was to raise public awareness about the 75th anniversary of the United Nations and UNESCO.

Another highlight of our recent cultural activities is the recovery of four sets of historical tiles. As a result of the fruitful cooperation with Dutch authorities, we were able to prevent the auction sale of these unique items. We are happy that these traditional Turkish “çini” tiles will soon be returning to their place of origin.

We have also recently organized a “Traditional Van Breakfast” event with the participation of prominent professionals in the tourism and culture circles in the Netherlands. As Turkey, we are now taking steps for inscription of the Van Breakfast on UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage.

Reflecting the rich Turkish cuisine and bringing everyone together at the same table, breakfast is an important element of the Turkish culture. “Van Breakfast” in particular, is among our country’s finest culinary rituals. It consists of a wide variety of natural products and regional delicacies such as the famous “otlu peynir”, a slightly crumbly and strong cheese spiked with herbs, accompanied by tea brewed in a samovar, served with lavash bread and Van buns cooked in stone ovens. For the occasion, we actually shipped these products from Van.

Could you tell us about the measures taken by Turkey for safe tourism? Turkey took significant steps in successfully addressing the challenges posed by the pandemic thanks to its strong health infrastructure and timely measures. In this context, “Safe Tourism Certification” program has been launched. Initiated to prepare the tourism sector for the “new normal” and to ensure a comfortable and safe holiday to the guests who will spend their holidays in Turkey, the program brought in a series of measures and rules for the sector.

In June 2020, we have launched a certification program with extensive criteria regarding airports, airplanes, touristic vehicles, accommodation facilities, and restaurants.

As of January 2021, all hotels with 30 rooms or more are required to be certified. Hotels without certification are not allowed to operate. Certification process is carried out by international accreditation organizations such as TÜV SÜD, TÜV NORD, RoyalCert, Bureau Veritas Inspektorate, Llyod’s Register, TÜV Austria, TÜV Rheinland and SGS.

Within the Safe Tourism Concept, a vaccination campaign was launched for tourism employees in April 2021. The campaign covers the employees of airline companies, airports, accommodation facilities, travel agencies, restaurants/cafés, tour and transfer vehicles, sea tourism facilities, theme parks, and convention and art centers as well as professional tour guides.

Thanks to those comprehensive measures, Turkey is ready to welcome her guests who would like to enjoy safely the wide-array of beauties of the country.

Which highlights of Turkey would you recommend our readers to visit? Antalya, İstanbul and Bodrum are already well-known destinations regularly visited by Dutch tourists. Nevertheless, there is much more to what Turkey offers as an amazing holiday experience. The fairy chimneys of Cappadocia, great ancient Roman city of Ephesus and natural wonders of Pamukkale should be in every tourist’s bucket list. If you would wish to experience a combination of a beautiful beach holiday together with historical sights, I would definitely recommend the hidden gem of Patara located between Antalya and Muğla.

Also, if you would like to witness the zero point of history with your own eyes, you must visit Göbeklitepe Archeological Site in Şanlıurfa, which is almost 12.000 years old - 7.000 years older than the Stonehenge and the Pyramids.