Indian Ambassador to Ankara Susmita Gongulee Thomas is getting ready to end her diplomatic career which has now spanned some 40 years. Ambassador Thomas will be retiring after her term in Ankara comes to an end. Thomas evaluated the economic, social, cultural and diplomatic relations between Turkey and India. Ambassador Thomas invited Turkish investors to come to India. “It is essential that Turkey makes investments in India so that the bilateral trade between Turkey and India develops rapidly and stays in balance,” she said. “The investments should not be one-sided.”
By M. Ferhat Yüksel
Having started her diplomatic career in the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1976 when she was just 21-years-old, Susmita Gongulee Thomas is getting ready to end her diplomatic career after her term in Ankara is over. Ambassador Thomas is the mother of two children and married to T. P. Thomas, who is a private entrepreneur and also involved in improving bilateral trade with the United States. Before joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thomas completed a master’s degree in the field of organic chemistry and has been awarded an honorary doctorate by Chile’s Santa Thomas University because of her work and services in strengthening India-Chile relations. Ambassador Thomas hosted us at her residence.
What kind of experience was it to serve in Ankara as an Ambassador on behalf of your country?
It was a wonderful experience which I believe was thanks to being in the right place at the right time. Ankara was ready to move forward and open up the already existing positive relations with India. When I came to Ankara, relations were getting warmer and the time for the pre-planned visit of our vice president was approaching. I came to Ankara on October 2, 2011, and only eight days later our vice president visited Turkey. Subsequently, in October, last year, after a 15-year break, an Indian president visited Turkey. Briefly, being here was a really important and pleasant experience for me. Before now, I have not served in a country where the majority of the population is Muslim and secular according to its constitution, and yet whose customs and habits are based on Islamic values and characteristics.
What was the thing that you were most proud of and enjoyed doing during your tenure?
The charity fashion show that I organized at my residence in 2013 for International Women’s Day holds an important place. At the show, Turkish and Indian women presented the designer dresses and sarees. Indian men joined in as well to showcase typical Indian Sherwani and Galaband. It was a wonderful activity that blended East and West and brought about the participation of both genders. It was attended by more than 300 guests. It also drew the support of the men. With the help of this activity, we not only increased awareness towards women’s issues but also with the funds raised we contributed to organizations and foundations working for women and women’s rights. I love being able to do something for women.
How do you evaluate the place of women in Turkey?
One of the things that surprised me the most in Turkey was that there is still discrimination between men and women. Based on what I had read about Turkey and especially what President Atatürk had done for women and the advances he had taken Turkey to, I expected to see a different picture. When I say discrimination made against women, we should not forget that it is experienced all over the world and it is not a case unique to Turkey. Even in America and India today these types of problems still continue to be experienced.
WE ARE VERY MUCH ALIKE
What are the similar aspects of India and Turkey?
When we look back in history, starting from the period of Alexander the Great from 323 BC and perhaps even earlier, many people migrated from Turkey, which is an important cradle of civilization, to India, which is another important cradle of civilization. This deep interaction has continued for many years. Today, we see that the Turkish language has an important place in the origins of the Urdu language, and the name “urdu” stems from the Turkish word ordu (army). There are more than 9,500 common words in our languages, such as kitap (book), dükkan (shop), tandır (tandoor) and kelam (word). Our cuisines and eating habits are not very different either, we just name them differently. The cuisine, culture, art, clothing, language, family values, hospitality and traditions that we possess are very much alike. Even, shalvar (baggy trousers) is used with the same name and shape in India. The roots of all these are based on the very old, strong and solid foundations in both countries. India’s Red Cross Society, the counterpart of the Turkish Hilal-i Ahmer Society, which included Dr. Muhtar Ahmet Ansari who was the great grand uncle of the present Vice President of India Muhammed Hamid Ansari, founded a hospital in Hadımköy in order to treat Ottoman soldiers wounded in the First World War. In addition, he built two fountains and a mosque. After the war, Ansari went to Kabul as Atatürk’s ambassador. Although India was not a fully independent country during the period of the Turkish War of Independence, India was the first country that provided financial support to Turkey and a portion of this money was later used in the establishment of İş Bankası. In short, our bilateral relations, our similarities and our roots are very deeply established.
In which areas is India strong today and does India consider sharing its strength with Turkey?
India has a very broad and advanced knowledge and experience in fields like information technology, developing space technologies, nuclear technology, renewable energy, and many other areas. India has reached all these by using the power of its own resources, research and development. If desired, India will be happy to share this knowledge and experience with Turkey. Currently, we have already made many offers.
Chief among these is training partnership. As you would appreciate, the only way to share all the knowledge and experience that I have mentioned before is through education and Research & Development. Last year, during our President’s visit, seven treaties were signed regarding the exchange of students and knowledge between the universities in India and Turkey as also with TRT. As you know, India’s Bollywood produces the largest number of films annually which are globally appreciated.
At what level are the economic relations between Turkey and India?
When I first started serving in Turkey, our bilateral trade volume stood at $4 billion. We are increasing this figure, albeit slowly, and we target $15 billion in the next three years. Despite the decline caused by the impact of the global economic crisis, currently we are at the level of $7-7.1 billion. We think positively that our target of 15 billion will be achieved and we know that it is not impossible to reach this target by 2015. Moreover, all over Turkey between Ankara and Istanbul and also in Antalya we have important firms, such as TATA, Polyplex Group, GMR Infrastructure, WIPRO, Indo-Rama Group, TAFE Tractors, Aditya Birla Group, Mahindra & Mahindra, Reliance, Ispat & Arcelor Mittal to name a few. There are a few hundred.
Currently, India has a very good trade balance and with this opportunity, I would like to invite Turkish investors and firms to invest in India and to take part in the large projects which will take place in my country. It is essential that Turkey makes investment in India so that the bilateral trade between Turkey and India develops rapidly and stays in balance. The investments should not be one-sided. Turkey has great experience and power in infrastructure development and construction. India is a country already open to the world in all areas of building infrastructure and development issues (housing, schools, airports, etc) and we are currently open to investment of $5 billion allocated for these projects.
In which sectors does Turkey make investment and does trade in India?
When sectors are considered, Turkey buys products like motor vehicle parts, polyester yarns used in the production of fiber polyester for carpet backing, reactive dyes, sesame seeds and products, cotton yarn, phosphoric acid and poly-phosphoric acid from India. India imports among other things a large volume of high-end furniture which is Turkey’s special strength and Turkish entrepreneurs can look at this sector to diversify and increase their exports.
Which sectors are attractive for Indian investors?
We help our firms like Hinduja Energy, Global Wind Power Ltd., etc. to make investments in the sector of renewable energy and other developing sectors and spend effort in order to bring them to Turkey. Today, traditional sectors like textile and manual labor have less potential and charm. That is why we suggest to our Indian investors to primarily invest in upcoming sectors like energy and technology.
INDIA DOES NOT DO ‘DUMPING’
What obstacles and opportunities await Turkish investors who want to make investment in India?
I cannot think of any obstacles because India has an open economy which is totally open to foreign economies. In India, anyone, provided that they meet the requirements, can easily present an offer in tenders open to international entrepreneurs. Developing countries can come and make investment in the areas and sectors they are strong at. As I have mentioned, India seeks companies and individuals who are powerful, skillful and experienced enough to actively invest in the field of building infrastructure and energy development in India. I personally researched and invited Turkish investors with the capacity to actively invest in building infrastructure in India. We have prepared very clear and well-defined booklets on these matters. The specific incentives prepared for each region and sector and supports offered are clearly defined sector-wise.
One of the few problems we face in Turkey is the dumping that Turkey accuses India of. What India does is not dumping, because the demand comes from the Turkish importers. The products that are taken from us are value-added in Turkey and re-exported to Europe. Now, Europe is experiencing an economic downturn so Turkey has surplus imports from India which has been termed as “dumping”. We hope to find a solution to this problem together with Turkey without applying to the World Trade Organization and we continue working on the bilateral solution to this problem. There are also some other minor issues that need to be solved, but Turkey has always been willing to discuss things in this respect.
Could you tell us about the richness of the Indian culture?
If I consider the Indian culture as a whole, it will not be fair and it will be a very superficial approach because the Indian culture has a composite structure. We are a nation with very different norms in ethnicities, religions, beliefs, food, cuisine and clothes. Each state has its unique cultural universe. That is why I recommend people to come and explore India and Indian culture as separate components. For instance, Rajasthan has a very vibrant desert culture with its colors and cultural richness. I would really want visitors to see how the people in this region survive, find water, build houses and even palaces.
I also recommend visitors to see the state of Karnataka famous for its coffee, tea, temple culture, wonderful nature, wildlife and tigers. The Gangetic Plain famous for its agriculture has an economy purely based on agriculture and a different culture, and way of life. Uttar Pradesh celebrates the seasons and marks the first harvest of the year with the Harvest Festival. However Rajasthan has a desert climate and does not have any harvest to gather, it celebrates the change of the seasons with different traditions and gatherings like the Camel Fair in Pushkar and Bateswar. Both states celebrate this on the same day with minor differences. I guess India was the first country to celebrate unity in diversity. (Laughs)
How do you evaluate the cultural relations between Turkey and India? What does each country do to improve these relations?
There is a lot of work that needs to be done with regard to culture as well, and both countries are very much aware of this. We try to improve our bilateral cultural relations by organizing events and establishing cultural centers. Recently, during our president’s visit to Turkey, cooperation protocols were signed between Turkey Radio and Television (TRT) and India Doordarshan Public Television and All India Radio. Under these agreements an Indian film will be shown on TRT in prime time every two weeks in Turkey and children’s programs featuring India’s wildlife and diversity will also be shown. Likewise, Turkish programs will be aired in India. In this way, our Turkish friends will learn and see Indian culture and every aspect of Indian people better. Radio and TV music channels often play Indian music and the Incredible India advertisement is constantly being shown on Turkish TV. Last year, we organized a Bollywood event which attracted great interest and the group which performed the show is in Turkey currently in order to stage their shows in Antalya for four months. Indians come to cities like Antalya and Istanbul in order to have their theme weddings and are very pleased with the service they receive. Recently, there have been Indian films like ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ which was filmed in Mardin. The issue that we want to emphasize is tourism. The tourism potential of both countries is very high and according to the Turkish embassy’s statistics, last year, nearly 80,000 tourists from India visited Turkey. From Turkey, on the other hand, only 15,000 tourists visited India. These figures are really low and they need to be increased from the Turkish side.
TURKEY WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP AND GROW
How do you see the political situation in Turkey after December 17 and the local elections?
In every democracy there can be periods with ups and downs and Turkey’s democracy is experiencing one of these periods. Each party and individual has the right and freedom to protest. I think that it is not correct to evaluate one country’s stability by observing the events that happen during different periods. Such protests and events were experienced in India too and this does not show that we are an unstable country. These episodes help us understand what people want, why they are angry, and how they feel. It helps gauge the pulse of the nation. If this does not happen governments and politicians will have difficulty in understanding the problems of society. However, I would like to mention that when we saw that in Turkey in recent years the police have used excessive force against protesters, it made us feel bad. It seems that the government also understood that it was wrong. The government’s realization of this wrong action and its effort to improve it has been a good move. Despite everything experienced, I believe that the political state of Turkey is fine. The results of the recent local elections show the direction of the existing trend. There are two other elections ahead and I believe that Turkey will realize them in peace and safety. I would like to take this opportunity to wish the very best to our Turkish friends. No matter what the result is, Turkey will continue in the path of development and growth as it does today.
What was the place that impressed you most in Turkey?
I saw all the cities in Turkey, except Van where I will go in May. The place that impressed me most and left its mark is Sagalassos. Before I went to Sagalassos, I thought that it would not be that interesting after Ephesus. I could not believe my eyes when I saw that city built with a terrific architecture in the 6th century BC using an underground stream to get water and still standing today.
What do you think is the most striking characteristic of Turkish society?
My favorite aspect of Turkish people is that they are sincere and hospitable like people in India. Turkish people also have a mentality similar to ours that the guest is God. You open your house and heart to your guest and you share all you have. I will never forget this heart-warming characteristic of yours which reminds me of my country.
Could you get used to living in Ankara?
I believe that Ankara is a more ideal city to live in, compared to Istanbul. Istanbul is a more densely populated and turbulent city. Ankara is a peaceful and comfortable city and it is also an ideal place to learn about Anatolian and Turkish culture. Since it is in the center of Turkey, you can easily reach many other regions and cities.
I FEEL FREE AS A BIRD
After your duty in Ankara, you are going to retire. How do you plan to spend your retirement?
I have not totally made my plans for the future, yet. However, I feel free as a bird. Since I was 21, that is, for 39-and-a-half-years I have been working for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The discipline of the work and the government decided where I have to go and what I have to do. I am happy that I will now choose where to go for the first time. I am planning to visit countries and places that I did not have the chance to see before, like Australia. My children live in the United States and I have not decided whether I will settle there or in India. I am planning to write a book, but it will not be service memoirs. When you write your memoirs, people might be afraid of you. (Laughs)
Will you miss being a diplomat?
Definitely! It is impossible not to miss my job that I have been doing for nearly 40 years and to adapt to civilian life will take some time. I have really loved my job and I have always done it with great pleasure and dedication.
Will we be able to see you in Turkey again?
Of course! There are still many corners and beauties that I have to explore in Turkey. Indeed, I want to revisit some places and see them again leisurely. I have made some very good Turkish friends. If I have the opportunity to work here I would like to come back as an academic.
