Hüseyin Özer can rightly be described not only as one of Britian's top chefs but also as one of its leading entrepreneurs. Of Turkish origin, he made England his culinary and professional home. He owns the Sofra restaurant chain, too! It is people like him who change perceptions about a country and its people. While every new arrival is an ambassador of sorts, some people just seem to go the extra mile when it comes to building cross-cultural bridges, and talking food is certainly a perfect starting point!Now what was the meeting all about? Two associations joined forces: the Middle East Cultural Group of Cities of London and Westminster Conservative Association and the Conservative Friends of Turkey.
Minister-Counselor Atılay Ersan from the Turkish Embassy in London was the guest of honor while the Turkish ambassador had been called back to Ankara for an important meeting and could not attend himself, as was announced by the organizers of the event.
This was no backdoor get together of a fringe club -- this was the drumming up of high-level support for closer ties between Turkey and the United Kingdom. It is particularly note and column-worthy, as this is a part of the British political spectrum that is so often misrepresented when it comes to who the real friends of Turkey are and who they are not!
During the opening speech, Sir Harold Walker -- Britain's former ambassador to Iraq -- criticized the present UK government for not doing enough to show its support for Turkey. He said more universities should offer courses in contemporary Turkish studies. Turkey's roles in NATO and as a bridge builder with Israel were mentioned, too. Ersan stressed Turkey's geographic importance and how the government pursues a balanced and multifaceted foreign policy. Turkey is now active in various regions and is perceived as a strategic partner by many.
Attendees at the London dinner heard about the Ankara Forum, which brings together the Israeli, Palestinian and Turkish private sectors. The indirect peace talks between Syria and Israel came up as did the Caucasus Stability and Cooperation Platform and trilateral meetings between Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turkey. A further key development was, of course, the beginning of Turkey's term as a nonpermanent member of the UN Security Council in early 2009.
Needless to say, politics mix well with business particularly over a nice dinner, and hence, a discussion of Turkey's recent trade links with the European Union followed. The EU is Turkey's biggest trading partner, receiving 57 percent of its exports. Millions of EU tourists come to Turkey each and every year. At present, 3.5 million Turkish citizens live in EU countries. A common view shared by the speakers and the audience was that the EU is well advised to fast-track Turkey's EU accession as this would underline that the EU is not a religious or one-sided integrationist club but a platform of states and their people based on common goals. As was underlined by the organizers of the event afterwards, Turkey could furthermore bring peace to a troubled region while improving its own geopolitical and global ratings.
This dinner was an indicator of what individuals with the backing of their associations can achieve in a relatively short period of time. Is one event enough? Of course not! Please let me elaborate: it does not matter which party or association carries the banner of international cooperation and promoting friendship as long as it is a democratic movement. I wish so much that one day soon I can write about the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party inviting people to a Turkish-Spanish mixer while a week afterwards a Danish nongovernmental organization in Copenhagen runs a photo exhibition about life in Turkey. This should go hand in hand with Irish small and medium-sized enterprises talking about trade with companies in Trabzon while the Italian Liberal Party hosts a debate about the merits of civilian constitutions everywhere and asks a Turkish speaker to address the meeting.
Am I dreaming? Perhaps only for a little while longer because what I wrote in the paragraph above can so easily become reality if individuals would only roll up their sleeves and get going. The event in London showed that it is possible!
And some more food for thought: I am still not convinced about the strategy used in promoting İstanbul as a European Capital of Culture (ECOC) come next year. If ever a better opportunity existed to show a somewhat reluctant public that Turkey is already halfway there (in the EU that is), ECOC 2010 is the tool to achieve just that. I hope that the recent infighting will lead to a streamlined and more proactive internal organization that itself will host many meetings abroad, too! Why doesn't the ECOC run a 27-country dinner road show similar to the one co-hosted by the Conservative Friends of Turkey on March 9?
Charge a modest participation fee, hire a few part-time or sponsored experts and costs can be reduced to near zero. This should happen before 2010, not after the event!
Benzer Haberler 
