The Turkish diaspora is of great importance for lobbying activities in support of Turkey.

The Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK) has been trying to organize the Turkish diaspora for some time. To this end, they have established the World Turkish Business Council (DTİK). This year, DTİK convened the seventh World Turkish Entrepreneurs Congress, which brought together entrepreneurs of Turkish nationality from all over the world. Turkish entrepreneurs resident abroad constitute the Turkish diaspora. Participants do business in a wide viriety of fields in many different countries. This is what TOBB President Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu implied when he said,  “We are no longer a group of migrant workers; we are the Turkish diaspora.” I believe that having a strong and far-flung diaspora is important for the strength of a country’s industry. Are you aware how much a strong and far-flung Turkish diaspora matters for the transformation of Turkish industry?

China, India and Ireland constitute the top three of the world diaspora ranking. Turkey is ninth, just above Iran. What the top ten list implies is that what shapes diasporas are yesterday’s deprivations and poverty. Misery pushed people out of the country. In fact, five million out of around seven million Turkish nationals living abroad live in Europe. These are the people who migrated to Germany five decades ago as migrant workers. Today, they are entrepreneurs. Today, diasporas are shaped differently. Turkish citizens move abroad not as migrant workers, but as students. Turkey is among the top ten also in this regard. In any case, migrant groups contribute to the deepening of social globalization.

And here are some findings. The first point is that the best diaspora is the one which does not forget the way back home. China calls its diaspora “sea turtles.” Sea turtles do not forget where they came from and return regularly. They cling to their home. Between 1979 and 2008, 1.4 million Chinese students obtained visas to pursue graduate studies abroad. 400,000 of them have returned home, bringing their experiences, knowledge and good manners with them. Meanwhile, China has created opportunities that will not make the returnees regret their decision to come home. For example, in 2002 the share of sea turtles in the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party was 2%, whereas this rate is 17% today. This means that the sea turtles have a clear path ahead. Therefore, the organization of the diaspora is of great use for both designing and publicizing the conditions set for return. And the return itself is of great benefit for the transformation process in the home country. This is the first point I would like to stress.

And the second one: a good diaspora does not have to involve citizens who have gone abroad and then returned to the home country. Those who have settled in developing countries are also of importance. Have you read the remarks by Muhtar Kent, Coca Cola CEO, on the DTİK website? It is expected that 700 million people around the world will move out of poverty by 2030. So, the global middle class will grow. Where? In developing countries, of course. The south-south trade observed to increase during the recovery from the 2008 crisis is not an incidental situation but a structural change. In this context, it is of significance to bring together the diaspora resident and active in developing countries as well as in developed countries. In today’s world, trade advances via investments, not flags. Turkish national entrepreneurs resident in developed countries in particular are to great benefit of Turkey. The diaspora has a critical role in improving global trade.

The third point relates directly to politics. It is for a reason that the word “diaspora” initially evokes in our minds lobbying activities in the US and the US Congress. Organized minorities have weight in politics in democratic countries. Having a certain degree of sensitivity about Turkey, the Turkish diaspora is of great importance for lobbying activities in support of Turkey.

The Economist recently wrote that 3% of the world’s population was first-generation migrants. Together with other diasporas, this makes three Turkey’s of today’s size. Organizing the Turkish diaspora is both beneficial and timely.

This commentary was published in Radikal daily on 22.11.2011