This year is the “2003 Year of Turkey in Japan.” Turkey is well known for its proJapanese national attitude. Various events are planned, such as concerts and exhibitions throughout the year. At the end of June, Turkey 's well known pianist, Mr. Huseyin Sermet and harpist Ms. Sirin Pancaroglu played together in a concert at Tokyo Opera City with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. Various people, including the Ambassador of Turkey, Mrs. Solmaz Unaydin, attended the concert.

We made an interview with Ambassador Mrs. Unaydin in order to learn about Turkey's history and its music.

Appealing Turkey 's attraction
Q) It has only been six months since you came Japan as Ambassador. What is your impression of Japan ?
A) Japan is a wonderful country for diplomats. People enjoy life in Japan . I have lived in two different countries as Ambassador in Sweden and Poland . Both countries have striking features. Japan is a wonderful country with its long history, great economy and ultramodern technology. I personally feel very happy to live in Japan as a diplomat.

Q) Turkey is two times larger than Japan. Turkey once used to be proud of being one of the biggest empires in the world. What do you think is the current situation of Turkey?
A) During the era of the Ottoman Empire, Turkey had a great deal of influence over a vast region ranging from Vienna Walls to the Southern tip of the Arab Peninsula, and even to North Africa. After the Ottoman Empire became the Turkish Republic in 1923, the Government encouraged modernization and westernization. Now, Turkey is one of the important countries of Europe. We have both Asia and European aspects in the field of politics, culture, economy and society.

Q) The “Year of Turkey in Japan” started right after your arrival. Great varieties of events are planned throughout the year. What kind of effect do you feel?
A) This “Year” aims to promote Turkey in Japan through its history, culture as well as its trade and economic potentials. I think this is a very good opportunity for us to introduce Turkey to the Japanese people. Great variety of events of cultural nature such as Turkish fashion shows, classical Turkish music concerts, several exhibitions, trade, food and tourism fairs will take place throughout the year. The Year consists of more than 100 events. Through these activities, we hope to introduce both traditional and modern Turkey to Japan. Hope to increase Turkish exports to Japan.

Q) I would like to talk about the relations between the two countries. What do you think is the most important field when you talk about the relations between Japan and Turkey?
A) I think economy is the most important field. The total trade volume between the two nations counts for more than 1.2 billion dollars. However, Turkey 's imports from Japan are far greater than its exports, which mean an unbalanced trade against Turkey . We have a variety of high quality products in Turkey. For instance, home textile products, such as curtains, upholstery materials and carpets in Turkey are among the best in the world. Especially, "Hereke" silk carpets are now one of the world's most famous brands. Turkish leather products are also excellent in quality. We are rich in fruits and vegetables. We would like to introduce our potentials to the Japanese consumers and wish to increase exports of Turkish products to Japan. From this point of view, the Year of Turkey is very important for us.

Q) What do you expect about tourism?
A) Tourism is also important for us. Currently about 90.000 Japanese people visit Turkey every year. Turkey has as very old history and is a cradle of civilizations that attracts a lot of tourists from all over the world. Our history and culture are not the only subjects of attraction. Turkey is also very rich in nature. Turkey is a peninsula surrounded by the Black Sea, the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. We also have huge mountains which are good for mountain climbing and skiing. There are places to enjoy canoing. Turkey is also "shopping paradise". You can find high quality products for much less compared to  Japan. Turkish people are a peaceloving nation and very hospitable. They love to welcome people. I believe that Japanese people will realize all these elements, the number of tourists from Japan to Turkey will definitely increase more then twice and this is our current aim.

Q) Could you please talk about the economic relations between Japan and Turkey ?
A) The Bosphorus Strait connects European and Asian parts of Turkey. Huge bridges were constructed over the Bosphorus to link the two continents. For the second bridge, the construction funds and technology were offered by Japan. Recently, the construction of a tube tunnel is also planned with financial support of Japan. Automobile companies such as Toyota and Honda have made inroads into the Turkish market. Also, a lot of other component supplier industries are building their factories. We welcome direct investments from foreign countries to Turkey.
 
Q) How many Turkish people are living in Japan now?
A) About 3,000 Turkish nationals are currently living in Japan. Most of them are businessmen, especially in the restaurant sector. Turkish cuisine is considered one of the three major cuisines in the world together with French and Chinese. Some are working in the field of information technology and banking. However, we have yet to see the introduction of big Turkish enterprises into the Japanese market, and this will be our objective for the future.

H.E. Mrs. Solmaz UNAYDIN
She was born in 1942. Completed undergraduate study in 1965 at Bryn Mawr College and received a Master of Arts degree from the same College. She joined the Middle East and Africa Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1967. She served as Ambassador of Turkey to Sweden and Poland. Mrs. Unaydin was appointed as the Ambassador of Turkey to Japan in February 2003.