SOCIETY 367 / 2015

»One can claim Turkey to be
situated at the center of the
global landmass.
«
Hasan Gögüs
trians visited Turkey. Austria is also one of our biggest
investment partners.
We have 114,000 Turkish citizens living in Austria.
There are 300,000 altogether, including Austrian
citizens from the second generation. Turkish
people constitute the second biggest ethnic minority
living in Austria after the Germans.
Turkey is a negotiating country for accession to
the EU. We believe our membership will be an asset
to the EU, not a liability. Turkey’s EU membership
should be valued on its own merits. We expect
a more forthcoming approach from our Austrian
friends.
What is Turkey’s current geo-strategic and
economic position?
Napoleon once said: “If the earth was a single
state, Istanbul would be its capital.” Geopolitically
he was right. Recent research suggests that
geographically he wasn’t far off the mark either. A
CURRICULUM
VITAE
H.E. Hasan Gögüs was born
on 23 October 1953 in Gaziantep/Turkey.
He earned an
M.A. in International Relations
from the Ankara University.
In the late 1970ies
he joined the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs. During his
career he was appointed
Third and Second Secretary
at the Department
of International Security
Affairs, Second Secretary of
the Turkish Embassy in New
Delhi, First Secretary at the
Turkish Permanent Mission
to the UN in Geneva, Chief
of the Cabinet of the Under
Secretary of the MFA,
Political Counsellor at the
Turkish Embassy in London,
Director of the Department
for Eastern Europe
and Central Asia, Deputy
Permanent Representative
of the Turkish Mission to the
OSCE in Vienna, Deputy
Director General for Arms
Control, Disarmament and
OSCE. From 2002 to 2005
he served as Ambassador
of Turkey to India, from
2006 to 2009 he was appointed
Director General
for Multilateral Political Affairs
at the MFA, from 2009
to 2011 he was Ambassador
of Turkey to Greece, and
from 2011 to 2013 he was
Deputy Undersecretary for
European and EU Affairs.
Since 2013 he has been
Ambassador to Austria. H.E.
Hasan Gögüs is married and
has one daughter.
DIPLOMATIE
TÜRKEI
study done in 2003 indeed traced the geographical
center of the Earth to 180 kilometers northeast of
Ankara. Based on that calculation, one can claim
Turkey to be situated at the center of the global
landmass. In fact, located at the crossroads of civilizations,
as well as land and sea lines of communication
connecting cultures and markets alike, Turkey
surely occupies a pivotal position, both geographically
and geopolitically.
Turkey is at the center of a wide geography,
which is very dynamic and offers as many opportunities
as challenges. Turkey’s priority is to affect
positive change, around its geography, through
increased cooperation and dialogue for establishing
an ever expanding belt of stability, peace and
prosperity.
Turkey’s strategic location also allows investors
to access a potential market of 1.5 billion people
with a combined GDP of 25 trillion Dollars and foreign
trade of eight trillion Dollars. Seizing this opportunity,
Turkey managed to increase its exports
from 36 billion to more than 150 billion Dollars in
the last decade.
Today, Turkey has the seventeenth largest economy
in the world and sixth largest in Europe. Turkey
has set specific targets to achieve by the year 2023,
which will mark the centenary of the proclamation
of the Republic. Ranging from healthcare to economy,
from defense to education, and from energy
to transportation, these targets include becoming
one of the top ten economies with a GDP of two
trillion Dollars and increasing the export revenues
to 500 billion Dollars.
Finally, what is the personal motto of your life?
Always look ahead and not look back. •
Ambassador Hasan
Gögüs and SOCIETY
publisher Gertrud
Tauchhammer enjoy a
cup of tea during the
interview
SOCIETY 1_2015 | 53