Almost three months after the start of the Egyptian revolution, the country's political landscape as well as foreign diplomacy leanings are being reshaped. The unprecedented revolt, despite the ensuing hardships, is proving an inspiration to Egyptians and foreigners. In the following interview, Ambassador of Turkey in Cairo Huseyin Avni Botsali, expresses his view of the Egyptian revolution and the prospects for relations between the two regional heavyweights. Q: How do you see the Egyptian January 25 revolt? What did you do during those 18 dramatic days? A: The people of Egypt have chosen to call the upheaval a revolution. I think that in socio-political terms it has much to justify this choice. But we can't question the fact that the people of Egypt want to call it a revolution. I personally think that the Egyptians have started writing a new page in the history of Egypt, the Arab world and the wider region. What has happened is unprecedented. I feel that Egypt has chosen a new path of change for itself and, in all likelihood, this path will lead the country to higher standards of pluralism, democracy and freedom. Maybe not immediately, but in the long run, the process of change and reform will ultimately have an influence on Egypt's economy, expediting reforms and facilitating integration with the global market system. Future generations' standard of living will definitely increase and so will Egypt's economic performance. But obviously there's a price to pay for this, as development requires vision, determination, patience and sacrifices. Present-day and future generations will have to make those sacrifices so our children and grandchildren can have a better future. Coming to the second part of your question, about what I did during the revolution, I stayed in my office and slept on the couch for 20 days. As you know, the Turkish Embassy is located very close to what they call the 'Government Island' in Cairo. We are between the People's Assembly, the Ministry of Interior, the Prime Minister's office and the Ministry of Health. Our premises are also close to Al Tahrir Square. First of all, I am proud to say that we Turks did not perceive a direct threat or risk from the people or the security forces in Egypt. Even while evacuating some of our citizens during curfew hours, the Egyptian Army and the people's defence committees always respected us, facilitating our work and passage. Turkish factories in Egypt tried, and mostly succeeded, to continue with their day-to-day production, with random interruptions due to popular disturbances or the inability of their Egyptian workers to turn up for work, because of lack of transport, security problems and/or the curfew. There have been no incidents of vandalism or violence directly targeting Turkish interests and factories. As you know, we employ nearly 50,000 Egyptian families. At the Embassy, we temporarily sent our families and children back to Turkey. Some Turkish businessmen also sent their families home. Our Government facilitated the airlift. Our people travelled on Turkish Airlines, which kept operating, even when, at times, EgyptAir had to suspend some of its flights. The Embassy staff stayed behind here, working 24/7 in shifts. The volume of work didn't increase, but, because of the emergency, we had to stay at the Embassy round the clock. I thank God that nothing unpleasant happened. For a few days security arrangements faltered, but the Egyptian armed forces swiftly filled the gap, in a peaceful and very courteous manner. Q: To what extent have the two partners co-operated in the economic, education, environment and tourism sectors since Mubarak's removal? A: For understandable reasons, our economic relations have slowed a little, like everybody else's. Obviously this is worrisome, but I am confident that it's temporary and, as the Egyptian economy recovers from the crisis, bilateral economic transactions will also gradually normalise. I believe that the solid bonds between our peoples and governments are as strong as ever, if not more so. The Egyptian Government says it remains committed to legal and contractual arrangements. This is a clear enough statement. But, as you know, banking and financial transactions have faced temporary delays and difficulties and, due to the extraordinary situation, some of these delays and difficulties may continue for a while. Now Turkey, like the rest of Egypt's economic partners and investors, is waiting to see the macro-economic targets and plans of the new administration. Our investors have a number of concerns, like the 10 per cent foreign labour quota, renewal of work and residence permits, the effective implementation of investment incentives, etc. But I personally believe that the current difficulties are temporary and everything will be put in order, once we've put this extraordinary situation behind us. If you are a good neighbour and an honest partner, you must be patient when the people next door are putting their home and garden in order. We have, at the moment four economic priorities: a) Maintaining what has been achieved (in terms of industrial and commercial transactions) and gradually trying to regain a rising trend b) Maintaining production, as far as possible, in industrial plants c) Keeping all channels of communication open for the Egyptian side's proposals and initiatives d) Giving priority to normalisation in sectors like tourism and air transportation, and to the continuous supply of essential consumer items for the Egyptian economy. Q: How can Egypt and Turkey (after Mubarak) help achieve stability in the region, especially in Libya and Palestine? A: Our strategic dialogue is continuing. President Abdullah Gul was the first head of state to visit Egypt after the revolution, while our Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, has visited Cairo three times. We see eye-to-eye on many regional and international issues. We have no problem with dialogue and communications. As you will recall, we helped evacuate as 5,000 Egyptian citizens by sea from Libya in March and April. Turkey also actively supports and will continue to support Egypt's peaceful efforts for Palestinian unity. Foreign Minister Davutoglu was among the dignitaries who attended the ceremony held in Cairo to celebrate the signing of the Palestinian Unity Agreement. We shall continue working as closely as possible in these and other areas, wherever possible. Q: The Turkish general elections will be held on June 12 and Mr Erdogan seems on the way to winning his third election in a row, having effectively neutralised a once-all-powerful military apparatus long seen as the guardian of secularism in the country. What are Turkey's lessons for Egypt, as some say that Egypt will take Turkey as a model, benefiting from its democratic experience? A: Like every nation, Turkey has its national debates and issues. The beauty of democracy is that these issues are resolved by the ballot box and not through violence. With the exception of two brief interventions in 1960 and 1980 respectively, governments come and leave in free elections. In Turkey, France and anywhere else where secularism is practised, regardless of the religious majority of the country in question, the separation of religion and state has been and remains the outcome of important social processes and sometimes rather painful social and historic transformations. I personally believe the spheres of conviction, worship and governance should be distinctly apart and that it is beneficial for society that they remain so. Regarding the role of the armed forces, political parties etc, every country has its own indigenous experience, choices and social synthesis. Though some may be inspiring for others, they cannot and should not be seen as a model or blueprint to build on, since governance is very much the outcome of every nation's sovereign choice and decision. This is very true in Egypt's case. Having said that, Turkey is a free country and our doors are wide open to all friendly nations and countries which may want to study and learn from our experience. Yet, as I have said on many previous occasions, Turkey is not a model, but a reliable friend and partner.
