Despite their religious and cultural differences, Turkey and Ukraine have tight bonds that date back for many centuries. Their destinies also seem inextricably linked.
The Black Sea neighbors do not fit neatly into the categories of East or West, and that is both a strength and a challenge.
Neither has been accepted into the European Union, despite years of efforts by both nations to join the 27-nation club. Both nations also struggle to promote their images – Turkey as a secular Muslim democracy, Ukraine as a former Soviet republic struggling to embrace Western values and democracy.
In photo above, the Turkish and other expatriate communities mix during the “Turkish Delight” night. It was organized by the Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine and International Turkish Ukrainian Business Association on April 21 in Tike Restaurant.
Close ties between the two Black Sea neighbors date back far into history. In the 16th century, Roksolana, a Ukrainian woman taken as a slave by Crimean Tatars, became the wife of Suleiman the Magnificent of the Ottoman Empire. She had a legendary influence on the Turkish ruler.
The tradition of intermarriage continues among the 20,000-member Turkish community in Ukraine today.
“Seventy percent of married Turkish men in Ukraine have Ukrainian wives,” said Adnan Anacali, a Turkish national and general manager of Creditwest Bank, the only Turkish-owned bank in Ukraine.
From general managers of giant conglomerates to university students, Turkish people have integrated into Ukrainian life far more than in many other foreign communities.
“In Europe, where many Turkish people originally came as workers earlier in history, we are still often looked at as second class citizens. In Ukraine we feel equal,” Anacali said.
Ergun Birol is sales deputy director of Astelit (mobile operator Life), which is 55 percent owned by Turkcell, the leading mobile operator in Turkey.
Birol said that “Ukrainians are very warm when you get to know them. However, once in awhile, I still can feel prejudice to me as a Turkish national, caused by the “un-Turkish” behavior of some of my compatriots.”
What Birol calls “un-Turkish” behavior is usually defined by Ukrainians as sex tourism. Irrespective of some individual actions, however, the Turkish community collectively has an enormous impact on Ukrainian economy.
Small but ubiquitous
While many foreign investors are scared away by Ukrainian instability, Turkish people say they operate well in crisis conditions. Bilateral trade reached a record $8 billion in pre-crisis 2008. From restaurants to tourist agencies that book Ukrainians their favorite Black Sea vacation destinations, hundreds of Turkish businesses cover nearly every sector of Ukraine’s economy.
However, these are mostly small and mid-sized companies.
“Large Turkish investors either choose ‘cheap countries,’ affordable to invest in, or European countries for prestige. Ukraine, however, lies somewhere in the middle,” said Suha Canatan, financial specialist at Dogus Construction Ukraine, part of the Dogus Group, one of the largest conglomerates in Turkey.
The company is currently involved in the Kyiv Boryspil Airport reconstruction project and is also constructing one of the bridges over the Dnipro River.
Canatan said that Ukrainian overregulation doesn’t help those in construction with meeting deadlines. Canatan, who came to Ukraine three years ago, was warned about possible security problems and the coldness of Ukrainians. Neither warning was justified, in his experience.
A folk dance group of Turkish and Ukrainian dancers performs a Turkish wedding dance during the concert of Turkish music “mystique love” held on April 8 as part of Turkey-Ukraine Friendship Night.
Forming bonds
Newcomers to Ukraine from Turkey can count on a lot of help. The International Turkish and Ukrainian Business Association unites more than 200 businesses nationally. For the last six years, the association has been actively assisting its members, from veterans to Turkish business novices.
“For instance, if a Turkish company plans to start a textile business in Ukraine, they would be first forwarded to me,” said Selchuk Dabanli, an association member and the head of Colin’s, a leading Turkish textile company in Ukraine.
One piece of advice that Dabanli gives to Turkish business-novices is to “forget about the rules one played by in Turkey.”
Due to ever-changing regulations, a fluctuating currency, stifling bureaucracy and “unpredictable” Ukrainian partners, Dabanli said it has not been easy for Colin’s to open its 73 stores in eight years.
“Now we feel pretty confident. We are also pleased to see stability returning with the change of leadership in Ukraine,” Dabanli said. “Customers have started to come back to the stores.” Others are cautious.
“Time will show [how effective the new leadership is],” said Ergun Birol, sales deputy general director of Astelit (mobile phone operator Life).
Astelit has invested more than $1 billion into Ukraine’s economy and takes credit for creating more than 50,000 jobs, directly and indirectly, all over Ukraine and serving some 12 million customers.
Birol said that the two nations definitely have different business cultures.
“We are more result-oriented, while Ukrainians tend to be more process-oriented. That’s where we learn from each other,” Birol said.
Ukraine, however, needs to change to become competitive in the world economy.
“The legal basis in Ukraine still cannot keep up with the modern business requirements,” Birol said. “The Ukrainian market is very dynamic, very fast moving, however, regulations remain far behind this process.”
Adnan Anacali, the general manager of Creditwest Bank, wishes the Ukrainian business culture would take more of a long-term view. “If Ukrainian businessmen cannot get 30-40 percent of immediate profit, they refuse to cooperate,” Anacali said.
Anacali came to Ukraine five years ago with the Alfa Bank group and later switched to Creditwest. He finds some of the values in Ukraine to be puzzling.
“I don’t understand Ukrainians, who earn $2,000 [a month], but are taking out loans for a $100,000 BMW and trying to survive on some $500 per month, fearing they will not be respected if they drive a less expensive car,” Anacali said. “I also find it odd that Ukrainians, taking care of their apartments, completely ignore vestibules and lobbies, which are extremely dirty. It can be two meters away from their apartments, but Ukrainians do not consider it to be the matter of their concern and responsibility.”
Anacali also said that last winter, when municipal service workers failed to clear snow from roads, revealed Ukrainian passivity. “Nobody was demanding or questioning the authorities enough. It’s the case almost everywhere in Ukraine,” he added.
Kyiv Post staff writer Nataliya Bugayova can be reached at [email protected].
Read also ‘Turkey’s ambassador: ‘Many embrace Ukraine as their second homeland’’ by Nataliya Bugayova.
