Today the guest of our regular column “Ukraine through Foreign Eyes” is Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Turkey to Ukraine Erdogan ISCAN. We asked him the same two questions we have been asking all foreign ambassadors to Ukraine, politicians, and experts:
1. What struck you the most about Ukraine?
2. Name three reasons to love Ukraine.
1. The feelings of the Turkish people toward the Ukrainian people have always been friendly, despite the controversial history of the region that our two peoples have had to share. They have influenced each other and thus certain common characteristics have emerged throughout history. This may be traced in the research of the history of the region. I can quote one memorable example. When the Ottomans arrived in the Crimea, they were faced with the contradiction between the Islamic ban on wine and the practical interest in the lucrative business of viticulture and wine production. The Ottomans developed a sophisticated approach by granting a significant tax break to Muslim wine producers. Such a policy stimulated Muslims to invest in this sector, and wine-related businesses continued to constitute a major aspect of the economy of the Southern Crimea during the Ottoman period. Thus, the Ottoman period established an important link of continuity between earlier Byzantine/Genoese and later Russian practices.
As a Turkish diplomat, I had been profoundly curious and had a genuine desire to have an opportunity to represent my country in Ukraine. Since I assumed my duties almost two years ago, I have had wonderful experiences. I have been observing the impressively strong will of the people to transform their society and align it with contemporary norms and practices, despite a number of difficulties and obstacles. Obviously, it is not an easy task if you take into account that it has only been 16 years since Ukraine gained independence. The transformation process will have to continue with a view to integrating fully into international structures. Meanwhile, it is important to have will and maintain it. On the other hand, we must not lose sight of the tremendous achievements so far, in spite of the huge dimensions of the targets. It would be sufficient to compare Ukraine 1991 and Ukraine 2007. There is every reason to rely on the highly sophisticated intellectual capacity of the Ukrainian people and remain optimistic about the bright future of this country.
2. First, the peaceful nature of the people. You can observe it in almost every sphere of life. I can hardly imagine any other country where opposing groups stage demonstrations side by side for days and no incident of violence is reported. This, I believe, is uniquely exemplary. Second, the intellectual capacity and artistic talents of the people. My wife Sibel and I try not to miss any opportunity to be present at cultural events.
Third, the colorful folk traditions. In addition to the beauty, colourful harmony, and excellence of artistic performances, it is equally impressive to see that dedication to maintaining folk traditions is widespread throughout Ukrainian society.
