Ilhan Saygili, Turkish ambassador: "We are not working to destabilize Balkans, but build peace and prosperity"

"Our starting point when it comes to relations with the Balkans is embodied in the concept of the ownership of the region, the so-called 'regional ownership'. We view our relations in light of that principle and we are not working to destabilize the Balkans, but to build peace and prosperity," Ilhan Saygili, the Turkish ambassador to Serbia, told Telegraf.rs, and continued:

"Also, the Republic of Turkey is very committed to continued dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and strengthening cooperation within bilateral and multilateral platforms such as the Balkan Peace Platform."

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• What is your comment regarding relations between the Republic of Turkey and Serbia in the context of the latest developments, i.e. the delivery of drones to the provisional institutions in Pristina?

As you know, our President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Serbia in 2024, as well as our Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan who visited Serbia in May of this year, and on the other hand, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia Mr. Djuric, attended the 4th Diplomatic Forum in Antalya as well as a meeting of foreign ministers, as part of the Balkan Peace Platform held in Istanbul.

I would point out that the scope, content and form of our bilateral cooperation with Kosovo does not target or threaten any third party. We will not allow the issues related to Kosovo, on which we disagree, and which exist, to cast a shadow on the excellent cooperation that our country has with Serbia. Considering that it is not useful to focus on disagreements, but on a positive agenda and on various domains of cooperation, we continue to act in that direction. We are ready to cooperate with Serbia in all sectors, including the defense industry.

Large scale tourist exchange in recent years

• Do you think that political cooperation and bilateral relations between Ankara and Belgrade can be strengthened? For years, the Republic of Turkey has been at the top of the list of the countries Serbian tourists travel to...

The distance that the Republic of Turkey and Serbia have covered in terms of bilateral relations over the last 10 years can be characterized as a success story. As our presidents say, we are now in the golden age of our relations. Of course, all relations experience ups and downs, so do ours. As President Vucic often says, we can also negotiate the topics we disagree on at the highest level, which, I would say, indicates maturity and the presence of mutual respect in our relations.

On the Serbian side, Minister Djuric's very visit, that is, the visit at the highest level for the Balkan Peace Platform, which was organized by the Republic of Turkey, indicates that interest in improving relations. Large-scale tourist exchange has also been achieved in recent years. Five years ago, 25,000 visitors from the Republic of Turkey came to Serbia, while last year there were over 230,000. So, tourists from the Republic of Turkey are the most numerous among all foreign tourists coming to Serbia. And we expect that this figure will be exceeded this year, and that a new record will be set.

We can also note this growth when it comes to Serbian tourists visiting the Republic of Turkey. Thus in 2020, 129,000 tourists from Serbia went to the Republic of Turkey, and last year that number was 350,000. The Republic of Turkey is the second most visited destination by Serbian tourists. In 2020, we had 25 regular flights per week between Belgrade and Istanbul. And this year, the number of regular flights from Belgrade, Kraljevo and Nis to Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir reached 66 per week.

There are two factors that have contributed to this. On the one hand, it's the political will of our leaders, and on the other, the people's effort to get closer.

• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last year that Turkish companies in Serbia employ 9,600 workers and achieve revenues of over a billion dollars. What sectors are most interesting to Turkish investors, and why?

Trade between the Republic of Turkey and Serbia reached its record last year, 3 billion dollars. Currently, 1,250 Turkish companies are actively operating in Serbia, which is a record number. We employ over 10,000 workers through Turkish investments and operations of Turkish companies. As for Turkish investments in Serbia, 13 years ago they were at $1 million, and that has increased 530 times and now stands at $530 million.

I mentioned the record we have achieved in trade, and I want to point out that two factors are to credit for this. The first is the free trade agreement signed in 2009 that removed customs barriers, and secondly, the already mentioned investments that have greatly increased compared to the previous period.

Serbia has very important and good strategic position

"Our companies operate mainly in the textile industry, manufacturing of spare parts for the auto industry, construction works, retail and wholesale, banking and tourism. If you are wondering why the Republic of Turkey invests so much in Serbia, that can be explained by the fact that Serbia has a very important and good strategic position. It is located close to the European Union and is represents a kind of the gateway to Europe. Because of that strategic position, it is extremely good to create a hub here, from where our products can go further to Europe.

I must point out that there are also large scale investments in infrastructure in Serbia, which opens up the possibility for Turkish companies to participate and work, and there are also big investment incentives. The free trade agreement allows goods to arrive to this market easily. The price of labor is very competitive in Serbia, it has increased in recent years, but this climate is still favorable in terms of the workforce.

As you know, the world is at a kind of a turning point, a transformation is taking place in the digital sense, and Serbia is a country with a highly developed IT industry and that of new information technologies, so our goal is actually to create a synergy through which Serbia and the Republic of Turkey would both benefit in achieving results in this sector.

I would also emphasize EXPO 2027, to be organized by Serbia, as an important project that will create numerous possibilities not only in Serbia but also in the countries of the region, and we will participate in EXPO in a way that befits our friendship with Serbia."

• The Raska District in Serbia, where a large number of Muslims live, is traditionally one of the closest to the Republic of Turkey. At the same time, it is one of the least developed areas in Serbia. Are there plans for new Turkish investments in that region?

The Republic of Turkey responds to the call of Muslim communities from around the world and, aware of its responsibilities and in coordination with the governments of the countries where these communities live, always strives to meet their expectations. As for the Raska District, which we historically refer to as Sandzak, it is particularly important for our relations with Serbia and we see it as a bridge of friendship between our two countries. We are implementing various projects in the Sandzak region, where a large Muslim community lives - in economic and infrastructure development and support of local entrepreneurship. I would like to emphasize in particular that the policy implemented by our country in this region in no way implies favoritism.

For example, through the activities of the state agency TIKA (Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency, Ed.), we are implementing numerous projects aimed at providing support to various sectors through procurement of equipment. We run various projects related to restoration of cultural and historical heritage, support to agriculture and animal husbandry (procurement of greenhouses, milking equipment, etc.), renovation of schools, procurement of ambulances, as well as improving the position of vulnerable groups such as women and youth.

To make it clear - TIKA is not implementing projects in Sandzak only, instead it operates throughout Serbia. TIKA works on the principle of improving people's lives, not particular areas. And the more people are included, the more successful the projects are considered to be. TIKA has been in Serbia since 2010 and has thus far implemented around 400 projects, out of which only 119 in Sandzak. The TIKA agency prioritizes humanitarian projects and projects aimed at economic development.

Serbia is very beautiful, I am delighted with Belgrade

• Do you have information about how many Turkish citizens live in Serbia, what position they enjoy, and if they are satisfied? In recent weeks, we have seen increased tension in relations between the Republic of Turkey and Montenegro after the incidents in Podgorica. Could something like that happen in Serbia?

According to the data compiled by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia, 5,377 Turkish citizens currently reside in Serbia. Because there is no visa regime, a lot of Turks come and visit Serbia for various reasons. Some are here temporarily, and for that reason I cannot specify exactly how many Turkish citizens live here, but taking into account those who stay for a short time, there are about 10,000.

Our consular department works intensely, but there are almost no complaints from Turkish citizens, they are almost negligible, regarding the actions of the Serbian authorities or Serbian citizens. In short, our citizens feel good here, they do not feel unwelcome. Serbia is a very beautiful country and I am delighted with Belgrade above all. All my friends who come to visit me here go home with positive impressions. Our view of what happened in Montenegro is that it was an unfortunate and isolated event. I would say, there were also mistakes and a communication problems, because there is a discrepancy between what happened and how it was presented in the press. I don't think that this event has had an impact on Serbia nor will it have an impact.

• What is your comment regarding cooperation between our two countries in the field of culture, what has been done so far, and what can still be done?

The friendship between the Republic of Turkey and Serbia is not new, it is deeply rooted in the past. When we look at our humor, language, cuisine, we can see many similarities. I often happen to come across young people who speak Turkish and ask them where they learned it, and they tell me it's from watching TV series. On that note, after the United States, the Republic of Turkey is second globally in terms of TV production. Our series are watched in 200 countries by over 750 million people. The audience is massive, and those series have a lot of influence on tourism. People see landscapes or some landmarks, and then want to travel and see those places for themselves.

Another consequence of the popularity of the TV series is the interest in learning the Turkish language. We have had over 9,000 students learning Turkish so far in the Yunus Emre Institute, as well as in the organization of the Office of the Education Adviser. We also have the Maarif Foundation, which has launched five schools in Serbia. I've already mentioned TIKA's projects, and I believe that Turkish and Serbian carriers - Turkish Airlines and Air Serbia - have also contributed to strengthening ties between our two countries.

One of the indicators of how deep-rooted our shared history and culture of living are is in the thousands of common words, which are not necessarily of Turkish or Serbian origin, some are of Arabic, Persian or Russian origin, but we, like people in Serbia, use them on a daily basis. I'm a diplomat and therefore I've spent most of my life in various countries abroad, and when I tell a joke or an anecdote the people here laugh, as do I when they tell me something funny. That further demonstrates how close we are, mentality-wise.

European Union is strategic goal for both Republic of Turkey and Serbia

• Does history unite or divide us, and is the common future of Serbia and the Republic of Turkey in the European Union?

I would say that we are the ones who should decide how much and to what extent history affects our present or future. We in the Republic of Turkey, as I said at the beginning, want to focus on a positive agenda when it comes to relations with Serbia. To be honest, what we see is the political will at the highest level on both sides. The Republic of Turkey, like Serbia, is a candidate for membership in the European Union. That is a strategic goal for both countries. During Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan's visit to Serbia in May, an agreement was reached to exchange experiences and cooperate in the process of accession to the European Union. And we here at the embassy are following very closely the events and all the difficulties that Serbia is experiencing on its path to Europe. We are not unfamiliar with that difficult process because, we are going through it.

We can see that the European Union needs a stronger strategic point of view. It should realize that the membership of the Republic of Turkey and Serbia in the European Union would significantly strengthen it, not only regionally but also at the global level. On the other hand, one of the principles we believe in is regional ownership. By that we mean that the countries of the region have ownership of the processes in the region they live in, and the responsibility to solve them. We are countries with deep-rooted values and strong traditions that guide us on our way to the future. In light of that perspective, we can say that, even without the additional leverage embodied in the European Union, there are countless factors that bring us together.

Rivalry between Jokic and Sengun is charming

• In recent years, sports rivalry between Serbia and the Republic of Turkey, especially when it comes to basketball, has been at its peak. Who is better - Alperen Sengun, or Nikola Jokic?

What's much more important than the rivalry, is that both countries have managed to produce quality players, on the global basketball scene. We enjoy watching both basketballers play. Jokic is outstanding and it cannot be denied that he is at the very top level of world basketball. On the other hand, we are proud of Alperen Sengun. He is young, talented, and getting better every year. He recently scored his 5,000th point in the NBA. The most important thing is to play good, quality basketball where this charming rivalry exists.

• However, it is football that is still the most important of the least important things in the world...

I'm an ardent Fenerbahce fan and here at the embassy we have Galatasaray fans, so it's a fun competition. We watch games together and just the other night the derby was played, I can't say I was happy with the result because it was a draw. Unfortunately we were champions last in the old days, 11 years ago, and this jersey with the players' signatures was a gift from that team. And next to it is the jersey of the champion Paralympic shooting team, that I received when I was consul-general in Frankfurt in 2010. Both jerseys are very important to me.

"I miss Ankara doner the most"

• What is it from the Republic of Turkey that you miss here in Serbia? Are kebabs, manti and Turkish delight better in Novi Pazar, or in Istanbul?

I miss the doner from the Mutlu restaurant in Ankara the most. It's a humble place, nothing special, but they have the best doner. Fortunately, I'm going to Ankara soon, so I'll satisfy that desire there. I will answer the second question diplomatically: I wouldn't single anyone out, both make good specialties. Likewise, what is called kebab here is not the same as our kebab. So,  kebabs here are something like our meatballs from Inegol, but the ingredients are different. Because our kebabs are different - we can't make a comparison.

(Telegraf.rs)