For some time, Turkey and Argentina have been busy knitting closer ties. Next month, the bilateral relationship between the two countries will be clear for takeoff. Starting in November, Turkish Airlines (THY) will offer new flights connecting Turkey to the Argentine capital.
Ambassador Maffei, showing not a little enthusiasm about the direct flights, said there are many in Argentina who are interested in Turkey, noting that his country received many former Ottoman citizens, now known as “Turcos,” at the beginning of the previous century. “The interest [in Turkey] is great,” he remarked.
Estimates place the number of those who migrated from the Ottoman Empire to Argentina at nearly 200,000. The presence of modern day Turcos in Argentina represents a connection the South American country has to Turkey, the successor state the Ottoman Empire, as well as to the greater Middle East.
During the official visit to Turkey of Christina Fernandez de Kirchner, Argentina’s president, in January of last year, Turkish President Abdullah Gül made reference to the emigrants, pointing them out as an example of depth in the two countries’ relationship.
But, as Gül noted in the same speech, not all emigrants who arrived in Argentina from the empire were ethnic Turks. And today, not all the emigrants or their descendants, many of whom are ethnically Armenian, have sympathetic feelings toward Turkey. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was scheduled to visit Argentina in May 2010 but canceled the visit at the last minute. Plans for a bust of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk to be displayed in a public park were withdrawn by Buenos Aires, an autonomous district, after pressure from the Armenian diaspora living there, despite the efforts of Kirchner to the contrary.
The incident proved, however, to leave no stain on bilateral relations. Kirchner’s visit in January was a sign of the two countries’ willingness to push ahead with closer ties.
And in the coming months, bilateral relations between the two countries will get a fresh boost with the expected visits of three ministers from Argentina to Turkey.
New consulate in İstanbul
The visits by the ministers will highlight economic ties. The minister of foreign affairs, international trade and worship and the minister of industry are expected to arrive in Turkey on a commercial mission around the start of next year. Then in February Argentina’s tourism minister will attend an industry fair in İstanbul. “The visits will certainly serve to improve bilateral economic relations” said Ambassador Maffei. The ambassador expressed his own hope for high-level Turkish delegations to Argentina next year.
Argentina opened a consulate in İstanbul at the beginning of 2012, and has since added a center promoting commercial investments and highlighting cultural and educational issues in Argentina. The consulate, another indication of increasing ties, is sure to stimulate new business contracts between the two countries. “The relations should get going in quite a big way in the coming years,” Maffei commented.
The trade volume between Turkey and Argentina stands at $700 million, a moderate figure for two countries that are also members of the G-20. Drawing attention to the potential of bilateral economic ties, Ambassador Maffei suggested that his country and Turkey could reach $2 billion in trade volume “in a couple of years.” With Argentina and Turkey endeavoring to boost bilateral trade, the frequency of contact between the countries’ business communities has increased. President Kirchner was flanked by Argentine businessmen and women on his visit last year. At the Turkish-Argentine Business Forum held in İstanbul, Aykut Eren of Turkey’s Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK) signed a memorandum of understanding with Federico Nicholson, vice president of the Argentine Industrial Union (UIA). Other notable signees included Rıza Nur Meral, president of the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON), and Eduardo Eurnekian, vice president of the Argentine Chamber of Commerce.
Investment in bilateral trade
As Kirchner noted at the İstanbul forum, Turkey and Argentina should make use of the synergy in bilateral relations to promote trade with third countries as well. Kirchner’s willingness to strengthen economic cooperation is reciprocated amply on the Turkish side. Noting that the present bilateral trade volume is far from reflecting the true potential of the two countries, Turkish Economy Minister Zafer Çağlayan expressed similar support for bilateral cooperation in third markets. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, president of the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB), added to the theme. Addressing the Argentine business community, he said, “We are ready to work together in the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa.” Hisarcıklıoğlu picked out agriculture and tourism as potential benefactors of bilateral cooperation. Informatics, agriculture, biotechnology and energy were also mentioned as mutually beneficial sectors. Noting Argentina’s strength in the production of pipes used for transporting oil and gas, Ambassador Maffei suggested a joint venture in which Argentine investors support the Argentine production of the pipes in Turkey, which would then serve as a hub for exporting to surrounding markets.
Education is another dimension in the strengthening of ties between Turkey and Argentina, in particular student exchanges. In August, 20 students from each country, aged 12-14, switched places and began a year-long study abroad. The exchange students are placed with host families native to each country, making it easier for them to adapt to a new language and culture. For the students, the program is a chance to find their way in a new culture. For Turkey and Argentina, it is an investment in the future of a bilateral relationship.
Fourth biggest producer of biodiesel
As noted by Argentine President Christina Fernandez de Kirchner at the Turkish-Argentine business forum held in January of last year in İstanbul, Argentina should not be seen solely as an agricultural country because it also offers much in terms of technology. The fourth biggest producer of biodiesel and the second biggest producer of lithium in the world, the country has uranium enrichment capability and nuclear reactors, which also serve to desalt sea water. Argentina is the only Latin American country that has produced three Nobel Prize winners, in medicine, physics and chemistry.
Latin America set to become a rising star
Latin American countries have come together in recent years under such organizations as the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and Mercosur (Southern Common Market), which indicates that major steps have been taken towards becoming a kind of alternative “European Union.” “Latin America will be one of the rising stars of this century,” Armando Juan Jose Maffei, Argentine ambassador to Turkey, commented to Today’s Zaman, adding, “It’s our projection that in 10 years’ time the continent will be one of the most important regions in the world.”
Highlighting that peoples in Latin America have similar cultures, ethnic background and ways of life, he said, “We just like to be together.” A common language makes the union of the continent much easier compared to the European Union. The main language of Latin America, with the exception of Brazil — which speaks Portuguese — is Spanish. And as the ambassador noted, with its rich natural and human resources, plus its emerging economies such as Brazil, Argentina and Mexico, the continent is set to enjoy a bright future.
Footballers to take part in promotion of Argentina
Argentina will participate in a tourism fair in İstanbul in February in which Argentine football players will have a part to play. Noting that there are nearly 10 Argentine footballers in Turkey, Argentine Ambassador to Turkey Armando Juan Jose Maffei said, “They may play an important role in the promotion of Argentina.” Hoping to attract more Turkish tourists to Argentina, especially after the inauguration in November of direct Turkish Airlines (THY) flights from İstanbul to Buenos Aires, Argentina will bring to Turkey cultural events such as tango festivals and concerts.
‘Syria, a problem to be solved by Syrians’
Argentina is home to an Ottoman population who emigrated to the country from today’s Syria and Lebanon at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries, so it is very sensitive to what is currently happening in Syria. For the Argentine ambassador, the Syrian crisis is “a problem to be solved by Syrians.” “It’s a Syrian problem and Syrians have to find a solution,” the ambassador commented.
Likes ‘Turkish noises and silence’
Argentine Ambassador Armando Juan Jose Maffei has been in Turkey for almost three years and feels deeply attached to the country. “I could spend my final days here. I like Turkish noises and silence,” he said. The ambassador’s remarks about “final days” has a lot to do with Bodrum. “When I first saw Bodrum, standing at the top of a hill looking down to the sea, I started to cry,” he said, having difficulty in expressing the profound feelings Bodrum awakened in him.
The ambassador comes from a family of Italian origin, and he was told by many people in Turkey that his attraction to Bodrum might have a connection with the Etruscans, a civilization that is believed to have traveled to Italy some 2,500 years ago from Western Anatolia, of which Bodrum is a part.
As to the intriguing expression “Turkish noises and silence” in Maffei’s remarks, they make reference to the long historical background Turkey has with its legacy of Ottomans and Seljuk Turks, and to the dynamism of the Turkish society with its roots going deep in the past. The same long past bestows on Turks, the ambassador believes, the ability to also handle things in peace. “When you need silence, you have silence, and vice versa,” he said.
The ambassador worked for five years as the director of a department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that also dealt with sister-city agreements and is interested in forging sister-city ties between Turkish and Argentine cities. “This is something I would absolutely like to promote,” he said.
A country of emigrants
Argentine society has a rich cultural background. From the mid-19th century to the 1950s, European immigrants, mostly of Spanish and Italian origin, and Ottoman citizens from the Middle East arrived in waves to Argentina. Although not as high in numbers as in past waves of immigration, Argentina still gets immigrants from its neighboring countries and to a lesser extent from Asia, in particular from China and Korea. Some native populations in the country observe their ancient rituals and traditions to this day.
