H.E. Mehmet Kemal Bozay, Ambassador of Turkey to Serbia

Turkey and Serbia have the necessary political will to advance bilateral relations in every field, and the leaders of both countries have declared their sincere intentions to foster relations on many occasions in recent times,” says H.E. Mehmet Kemal Bozay, Ambassador of Turkey, speaking in this exclusive interview for CorD Magazine.

Your Excellency, you have assessed relations between Serbia and Turkey as being friendly, noting that we have our best understanding in the economic domain. Are you satisfied with this cooperation and is there room for improvement?

– We believe in the bright future of Serbia, as a prospective member of the EU, and are searching for ways to lift the economic relations, which are far below the potential of the respective nations, to the desired level.

From an economic and legal perspective, everything is ready for doing business. Basic bilateral agreements, such as the Free Trade Agreement, Visa Agreement, Agreement on Investments Encouragement and Prevention of Double Taxation, have been concluded between the two countries.

We are glad to see that bilateral trade is moving upwards continuously and increases year on year. In 2015, Turkey was the 7th import and 17th export partner of Serbia, with a trading volume of $830 million. And Turkish investors are becoming more and more interested in Serbia every day.

As you stated recently, businesspeople from Turkey would rather invest in Serbia than in other countries in the region. What is the attraction?

– There has been an increasing interest among Turkish business circles in investing in Serbia. The arrival of Halkbank on the Serbian market was a real game changer in that sense. I am completely confident that Halkbank, one of the top players in the Turkish banking sector, will contribute significantly to not only the banking sector here but also bilateral economic ties between Turkey and Serbia. With its particular expertise in dealing with SMEs, Halkbank will also give a much-needed boost to the Serbian economy in that respect.

I cannot possibly say that the current level of trade with, and FDI from, Turkey is satisfactory. I am almost completing my fourth year here and I am an ardent believer in the potential and capacity Serbia has to offer, and am totally convinced that the Turkish economy will benefit greatly from interaction with Serbia.

With this understanding, the relevant authorities of both countries, including the Turkish Embassy in Belgrade, encourage Turkish businesspeople and investors to be present in Serbia, since this is the right time to invest here.

Serbia has an excellent location to reach out to a large number of countries’ markets, and it has an excellent network of free trade agreements (FTAs) with CEFTA, EFTA, Turkey, the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan and Belarus.

Serbia has also started full membership accession talks with the EU and trade with the EU is being made free of customs duties. With that FTA network, Serbia offers market placement to over 1.1 billion people, which is a very good reason to invest in this country, especially for companies which are targeting these markets. It has an encouraging investment regime and a favourable business environment.

The forecasts for 2016, 2017 and beyond signal a considerable economic recovery and the government’s commitment to reform are noteworthy and much appreciated.

I also would like to underscore that during my conversations with Turkish investors who have been here for quite a deal of time, they, again and again, stress their satisfaction with the Serbian workforce and their exemplary work ethics, which is an outstanding factor in making investment decisions.

How much progress is being made on the feasibility study for the construction of an airport in Kraljevo, which is a job that, according to the Memorandum of Understanding, should be carried out jointly by Serbia and Turkey?

– We are well aware of the importance of the Kraljevo airport project for central and south Serbia. Once fully operational, its surroundings will benefit considerably with the transport opportunities it offers, both to Serbia and even to its neighbouring countries.

The agreement on partial reconstruction of the Kraljevo airport was signed in 2012 and after that relevant studies were conducted pretty swiftly and the final stage was approached. However, due to some misunderstandings, a stalemate has been reached. Nevertheless, the Serbian authorities have restated their interest in cooperation in this area. A team from the Turkish Ministry of Transport will soon visit Serbia to conduct some new studies of a technical nature.

According to the available data, Turkish citizens also increasingly prefer to come to Belgrade as tourists. The number of Turkish tourists in the Serbian capital has increased by as much as 40 per cent in the last few years. How can you explain this?

– The number of Turkish tourists that are coming to Serbia is increasing every year. The number has tripled in the last three years, from 20 thousand to more than 60 thousand in 2015. This year the expectation is 90 thousand. As a matter of fact, Turkey ranks number two in terms of the number of incoming tourists in Serbia. The shared cultural and historical heritage of the two countries is certainly a factor in making Serbia a popular tourist destination.

On the other hand, Turkey is also one of the favourite destinations for tourists from Serbia. Will the upcoming tourist season threaten the complex security situation in the country? The last terrorist attack in Istanbul took place in early June and was the fifth since the beginning of 2016?

– Turkey consistently ranks as one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations. In 2014, the number of tourists travelling to Turkey surpassed the 40 million mark for the first time. The number of tourists coming from Serbia has approached the 200,000 marks. Turkey offers all sorts of attractions that cater to a wide variety of tastes, ranging from UNESCO World Heritage sites to pristine beaches.

Turkish authorities are taking all necessary precautions to ensure that tourists can enjoy these attractions. While there have recently been a number of terrorist attacks in Turkey, it is important to keep things in perspective and note that any country can be a victim of such terror attacks.

The recent terror attacks that took place in Paris and Brussels are a testament to this fact. All in all, popular tourist destinations in Turkey are safe and stable.

Serbia offers market placement to over 1.1 billion people, which is a very good reason to invest in this country, especially for companies which are targeting these markets

The impression is that the situation is complicated by the state of the domestic political scene – in external analyses one can see the impression that the current government is moving Turkey further away from the course set by Kemal Ataturk, turning more towards traditionalism and the strengthened role of religion. Is that impression mistaken?

– As a modern, democratic and secular state, Turkey is an indispensable actor in global security, with its stable and strong political and economic structure. With its unique, predominantly Muslim, population, Turkey is a hub of political and economic power in the Eurasian region.

On the other hand, politically and economically, Turkey’s deep-rooted and multi-dimensional relations with the West are also of a vital and fundamental character. Having said this, it is also true that since the beginning of the second millennium Turkey has started to play a more active role in its neighbourhood and beyond. This approach primarily stems from the complex risks and threats inherent in today’s international system.

We all have to be proactive and constructively approach crises all around the world. This kind of a change in Turkey’s foreign policy understanding should be regarded as a valuable contribution to international efforts aimed at preserving peace and stability. However, circles biased against Turkey may try to deliberately present this phenomenon as a destabilising factor. Such efforts are in vain.

In summary, the traditionalism of Turkey and the Turkish people is based on its deep-rooted state tradition and dignity, enriched by genuine and precious cultural and religious values. And universal concepts of democracy, rule of law and respect of human rights are the pillars of modern Turkey that were founded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

You recently rejected allegations that the authoritarian regime of President Erdoğan is being strengthened and claims that media freedom and opposition activities are being suppressed in Turkey?

– As a founding member of the Council of Europe and an EU membership candidate country, Turkey is firmly committed to human rights, the rule of law and democracy. In recent years we have witnessed attempts to impose an unjust and unfounded image on Turkey by some ill-intended media outlets. Negative propaganda may have a certain impact for some time, but realities cannot be altered with twisted campaigns.

Turkey is a vibrant democracy and is continuously striving to raise its standards by all means. Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey, set the main course of Turkey almost a century ago, to surpass the contemporary civilisation. This kind of target is neither dogmatic nor static.

Such a formula is and will continue to be, the guiding principle for us in the future too. The goals declared by our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for 2023 and 2071 are clear confirmation of Turkey’s future path.

There are also disagreements with Serbia at the political level, primarily due to Ankara’s position regarding Kosovo. Do you think there are chances to renew dialogue within the “Trilaterale” (Turkey, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina), which was interrupted due to the dissatisfaction of President Nikolić with Turkey’s stance on Kosovo?

– In international politics, there are no countries with 100 per cent overlapping views in all fields. First of all, Turkey is vehemently against any factor that could compromise peace and stability in the region. In this regard, we support Serbia’s EU membership bid and the Belgrade-Pristina process, which will be instrumental in ensuring a prosperous Balkans and Europe.

We want to focus on mutually benefitting relations, such as economic and financial issues. To this end, we have added an economic aspect to the trilateral mechanism. This mechanism is a tool to enhance mainly economic cooperation among Turkey, Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, with an understanding of confidence building. This is the way forward for all of us. Economic cooperation can provide us with a reliable safeguard against destabilising factors.

The Trilateral was not thrilled with the leaders of Republika Srpska, who were also dissatisfied with the “Trilateral”, considering that they feel Turkey clearly favours the Federation or Bosniaks in the country. How do you respond to such a stance?

– Across the Balkans, due to our common historical heritage, there are people in all countries with special ties to Turkey. This is a historical and sociological fact. We are in favour of viewing this fact as bridges to bolster our bilateral relations with the countries of the region. Positive attitudes and open-mindedness can substantially help to overcome negative perceptions. Constructive engagement can pave the way for long-term solutions. We are aware that it takes time to eliminate historical prejudice.

The number of Turkish tourists that are coming to Serbia is increasing every year. The number has tripled in the last three years, from 20 thousand to more than 60 thousand in 2015

However, there is no alternative to good neighbourly relations in the region. We have recently activated the economic dimension of the trilateral mechanism among Turkey, Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, in order to create a cooperative environment in order to overcome prejudices. We finally believe that improved economic relations among regional countries will pave the way for better political relations too. The project of opening a joint Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina trade office in Istanbul will be a concrete step in this direction.

Will the EU-Turkey agreement on resolving the migrant crisis be jeopardised if the agreed visa liberalisation for Turkey is not forthcoming, as announced recently by Turkish Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu?

– Turkey is the only EU candidate country whose citizens are denied visa-free entry into the EU. In order to correct this situation, the visa liberalisation process was started in 2014 with the signing of the Readmission Agreement. Out of the 72 benchmarks that were formulated within the framework of the Road Map, Turkey has met all but five. Turkey has enacted significant reforms in areas such as migration management, border security and operational cooperation with Europol. We hope that the remaining issues will swiftly be worked out and that Turkish citizens will be able to enjoy visa-free travel to the EU at the earliest opportunity.

What do you think about the comments suggesting that Turkey is strengthening its negotiating position with the EU by threatening to direct a large number of refugees towards Europe?

– The accusation that Turkey is using the continuing refugee crisis to bolster its negotiating position against the EU is unfounded. We clearly want burden sharing, as this is not an issue that only concerns Turkey. Turkey currently hosts approximately three million refugees, most of whom are Syrian.

Ever since the Syrian regime resorted to using deadly force to suppress peaceful protests in 2011, we have spent more than $10 billion for the various expenses associated with housing these refugees. Most recently, Turkey has amended the labour code to give these people the right to work. In other words, Turkey is doing its utmost to alleviate the humanitarian crisis that is unfolding. We expect our European partners to shoulder a fair share of the burden.

How do you evaluate the situation in the Middle East and are you concerned about information related to new conflicts in Syria?

– The situation in the Middle East continues to be dire, with the Syrian Civil War in its fifth year and with internal conflicts continuing to rage in Iraq and Yemen, as well as precarious progress in Libya. As most of the nearly three million refugees originate from Syria, the situation there has major repercussions for Turkey, not to mention the fact that recent rocket strikes from the Syrian side of the border have killed more than 20 people in the town of Kilis.

We hope that a political solution for the conflict is the only solution for the root cause. However, for that to happen the legitimate representatives of the Syrian people have to come together and discuss their grievances, in order to come up with a formula for a democratic Syria.

Certain circles in Germany would like to prevent the blossoming of this relationship and they are exploiting unfortunate historical circumstances to drive a wedge between the two countries

Germany’s decision to classify the crimes against Armenians during World War I as genocide was greeted with outrage in Turkey. President Erdoğan responded by accusing Germany of acts of genocide in World War II. What can be expected in further communication between the two countries – an easing of tensions or their escalation?

– Turkey and Germany have extensive ties. Germany is currently the biggest export market in Turkey and it ranks number two in terms of imports. Furthermore, there are over three million Turkish people in Germany, many of whom have German citizenship. Unfortunately, certain circles in Germany would like to prevent the blossoming of this relationship and they are exploiting unfortunate historical circumstances to drive a wedge between the two countries.

The venue to discuss the events of 1915 is not legislatures, but rather academic environments with objective historians. Turkey has no qualms about facing its past, which is why it has allowed access to its archives to foreign historians. The same cannot be said for the Armenian side. There is no court finding to justify the characterisation of the events as “genocide”.

Furthermore, the term “genocide” wasn’t even defined in 1915 and, hence, any such characterisation would in effect be a retroactive application of international law. In any event, the bilateral relations between Turkey and Germany are too important to be allowed to be derailed by the distorting of historical facts.