Usman Waqar and Waqar K. Kauravi<\/p>\n
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, born in 1954, has served as T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s 12th and current president. From 2003 to 2014, he was T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s prime minister. Erdogan was elected mayor of Istanbul following the 1994 municipal elections, where he initiated a number of changes that improved the city\u2019s infrastructure and economy. Later, he established the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2001.
\nT\u00fcrkiye under President Erdogan has undergone a sea change in the past decade and it is almost impossible to discuss T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s success story in a short paper; however, we have tried to focus on three key areas: Tourism, Industry and Conflict Resolution. Pakistan can draw lessons from its friendly ally\u2019s experience.
\nUnder President Erdogan, T\u00fcrkiye has witnessed economic revival and it has become one of the fastest growing economies in the region and even Europe. T\u00fcrkiye has built upon its human and natural resources through an effective management and good governance. There is also a factor of political stability as President Erdogan\u2019s AKP has maintained power for past two terms and this continuity of policies has helped shape a trajectory of development and prosperity.
\nTourism potential is one example of harnessing the power of culture and history. The majority of T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s tourist attractions are historical sites and beach resorts around the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas. Increasingly, people travel to T\u00fcrkiye for its culture, spas, and medical facilities. According to the UNWTO\u2019s global tourism barometer, T\u00fcrkiye has been the fourth most popular tourist destination since 2021.
\nOne of the most popular tourist destinations worldwide, is Istanbul. Before the Tanzimat period of reform in the 19th century, Islamic judges and Imams oversaw the city under the direction of the Grand Vizier. This ecclesiastical structure was replaced by a mayor and a citywide council, like in France at that time. The local government has played a major role in development and expansion of Istanbul.
\nIstanbul, features a lot of top attractions thanks to its former role as the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires\u2019 capital. These include the Hagia Sophia, Topkap Palace, Basilica Cistern, Sultan Ahmed Mosque (also known as the \u201cBlue Mosque\u201d), Dolmabah\u00e7e Palace, Galata Tower, Grand Bazaar, Spice Bazaar, and Pera Palace Hotel. By housing malls and shopping centers like MetroCity, Akmerkez, and Cevahir Mall, which is the largest mall in Europe and the sixth largest shopping center in the world, Istanbul has also recently become one of the largest shopping hubs of the European region. Museums, cultural events, and athletic events are other attractions. There are 19 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in T\u00fcrkiye, including 17 cultural and 2 combined sites.
\nMedical tourism is another success story in T\u00fcrkiye. Due to the influx of thousands of international tourists each month, cosmetic dentistry, rhinoplasty, and hair transplant surgeries are becoming popular due to high quality doctors and competitive prices. With 642,000 visitors coming for medical services in 2021, medical tourism earned a substantive $1.05 billion in income. The ease of obtaining a visa for foreigners and the prompt scheduling of operations has contributed a lot in enhancing medical tourism in T\u00fcrkiye.
\nDespite a dip due to Covid 19 the revenue from Tourism has recovered and T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s tourism industry now contributes more than 60 billion dollars annually.
\nWhile Turkish industry is very diverse, the automobile industry is being discussed to draw some lessons for Pakistan. A substantial part of T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s manufacturing sector is occupied by the automobile industry. The Marmara Region is home to the majority of the businesses involved in the Turkish automobile industry. T\u00fcrkiye is the 13th largest car producer in the world, according to OICA.net, T\u00fcrkiye manufactured 1,352,648 motor vehicles in 2022. Many of the largest van, bus, and truck manufacturers in the world, including TEMSA, Otokar, and BMC, are Turkish. T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s Automobile Joint Venture Group Inc., also known as Togg, is the country\u2019s first manufacturer of all-electric cars. The Turkish automotive industry exports motor cars and parts valued at close to $20 billion, it has a concentration of automakers and parts suppliers and has integrated itself into the global production base network. Major international automakers like Fiat, Tofa\u015f, Oyak-Renault, Hyundai, Toyota, and Ford Otosan have operations on Turkish soil.
\nIt is also important to highlight how Turks look at the Treaty of Lausanne. Various conspiracy theories frequently hit the headlines. The two most significant of them are that the treaty has unpublished, secret clauses and there will be drastic changes in the region after it has expired in 2023. These two assertions have been debunked by respectable Turkish historians; however, the debate continues in the coffee houses and restaurants across T\u00fcrkiye. Although there has not been a war between Greece and T\u00fcrkiye since the Treaty of Lausanne, there has been frequent periods of tensions related to Cyprus and T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s bordering islands in the Mediterranean.
\nDue to its geostrategic location and position in different international organisations, T\u00fcrkiye has tried to play the role of a stabiliser and equaliser. Interestingly T\u00fcrkiye also falls on the confluence of six major civilisations, Greco Roman, Byzantium\/Orthodox Christians, Ottoman\/Islamic, Arab\/Islamic and Turko Mongol, so it has a historic legacy to build upon.
\nMore recently President Erdogan has tried to play a major role in regional conflict resolution and building alliances based on geo-economics. In the ongoing Russia Ukraine war, T\u00fcrkiye has played the role of a moderator, especially on the issue of Black Sea grain deal, which came under discussion during a recent meet between President of Russia, Vladimir Putin and President Erdogan at Sochi.
\nT\u00fcrkiye has also played a major role in conflict resolution in Syrian and Libyan conflicts and developing a better understanding with major players in the Middel East.
\nWith Pakistan, T\u00fcrkiye has historic, cultural, geo-economic and geopolitical relations which are time tested. Pak-Turk military relations have also grown substantially and there is growing scope for joint ventures in the field of military hardware. For Pakistan, there is a lot to learn from T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s economic rise and how good governance and harnessing of national potential can help human development, progress and prosperity.<\/p>\n
The authors are freelance writers and can be reached atusmanwaqar73@gmail.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Usman Waqar and Waqar K. Kauravi Recep Tayyip Erdogan, born in 1954, has served as T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s 12th and current president. From 2003 to 2014, he was T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s prime minister. Erdogan was elected mayor of Istanbul following the 1994 municipal elections, where he initiated a number of changes that improved the city\u2019s infrastructure and economy. Later, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[2442,8089,12960,12961],"class_list":{"0":"post-357042","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-article","7":"tag-tayyip-erdogan","8":"tag-turkiye","9":"tag-usman-waqar","10":"tag-waqar-k-kauravi"},"yoast_head":"\n