Here is what the scene in the salon where the Forum was held was like: despite technical explanations and lots of statistics in his speech, the prime minister managed to command absolute attention from the Arab audience, with thunderous applause exploding in the wake of his many excited sentences.On the return to Turkey, I asked the prime minister about the scene in the salon that day in Jeddah. I learned that he had improvised the more energetic part of his speech that day. Erdogan, who used his speech to touch on some of the most basic problems in the Islamic world, talked about hunger, poverty, and lack of education. He then launched into examples of these phenomena which he had experienced himself. His voice trembled as he talked about Bangladeshi families living in tin shacks or about seeing death up close in Darfur. He underscored the gravity of the fact that 1 trillion dollars have been set aside for the global arms trade while urging for investment in certain basic areas needed for global peace. With the phrase “Life is a risk” as his starting point, the prime minister called on the Arab world to invest more in Turkey.
During our conversation on the plane, we called on the prime minister to explain this subject a bit more in depth. He apparently observed how closely and excitedly the Arabs had followed his speech, which is why he thinks that since the psychological atmosphere is good right now, economic relations with the Arab world can become much better with only a little bit of encouragement. If we consider that Arab investment capital, which has not exactly seen the best treatment from either America or Europe in the wake of September 11, is going after new opportunities, it is then possible to understand why the Turkish government is working so hard on this subject.
It was right at this point in his explanations that the prime minister stopped to make some reproaches. He noted that in Turkey there was racism in the investment arena. He lined up some examples. He recalled that when Dubai interests had expressed plans to make up to $30 billion in investments across Turkey, they had been dismissed, looked down upon, and belittled. It’s very true. The Dubai-based investment plans for Istanbul opened the path to unbelievable below-the-belt arguments. Most people never even reached the point of understanding the heart of the matter. Thus both the administration and the Dubai investors were needlessly mauled over a project which needed only a few simple revisions and re-workings. And to what end?
The prime minister’s reproaches were not limited to the arena of Arab investment in Turkey. He offered the examples of the Galataport project and the recent Cargill debates as examples of some of his complaints. As is well known, the Galataport project evolved into hostility toward Jewishness, then turned over to a mania whose battle cry was “the country is being sold.”
Thanks to certain revisions, the project was finally brought into a workable state. Ofer, who cannot seem to escape blows from certain circles based on his Jewish background, could have directed cruise tourism traffic toward Turkey, which in turn would have brought great profits for the country. In the end, a contract based on a specific amount of time was to have been made. In other words, there was never any question of “the country being sold.” It never happened. And now, what is the result of all this? Absolutely nothing. Just giant empty hangars along the shores of Tophane, ugly buildings, dilapidated cafes and narghile spots blocking the sea view. That’s all.
This is all a part of the prime minister’s complaints. He notes that those who oppose the opportunities which could come with Arab investment do not only limit their opposition to Arab capital. These same circles, who do not back any new moves, are also busy axing the investments made by the Cargill group. Erdogan calls this into question, noting: “Cargill is not new. When we came to power, Cargill was already around. They have $150 million in investment. They have provided 1,500 people with work opportunities. Those who never raised their voices when it came to Cerkezkoy and Corlu, why is it that they suddenly remember the agricultural regions when the name Cargill comes up?” The prime minister’s comments on this bring to mind the question, “I wonder if this is all because Cargill is an American company?”
It’s not a pleasant situation. In the end, these companies, whose investments we miss out on because one is Arab, one is Jewish, and the other American, all wind up making their investments in other countries. And then, while they continue on their paths, we are left behind alone with only our meaningless suspicions and lots of talk that underscores our lack of confidence to keep us company. The administration though is faced with the task of getting us over this hurdle because those who propagate “investment racism” on the basis of political reasons are actually darkening Turkey’s future. A last word on the subject: the prime minister pressed for room to be made for Turkish business in the high speed train project for which the Saudis have set aside $37.5 billion. But if foreign investment capital is constantly bothered in your own country, is it reasonable to expect business interests from your country to be able to comfortably invest in the countries of others?
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