| François Del MARMOL | Consul General of Belgium in Istanbul |
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My main ambition as a new consul general of Belgium in Istanbul is to keep the momentum of the initiatives of my very active predecessors |
Thank you for your kind words. Allow me to detail my previous diplomatic career.
Before being posted to Istanbul, I accompanied my wife who was Ambassador of Belgium in Israel. During her assignment in Israel, I was seconded to UNRWA, the UN Relief and Works Agency for the Palestine Refugees in the Middle East, in Jerusalem. This helped both of us grasping the complexity of the Israeli-Palestine peace process. Moreover, I got the opportunity to travel in the area where UNRWA is active: Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, the occupied Palestine territories and the Gaza Strip.
In Israel, we could notice the very positive role played by Turkey in the region. By the way, the skillful Turkish Ambassador in Tel Aviv, Mr. Namik TAN, was a good friend.
Years ago, as a junior diplomat, I was first posted in Moscow, then in Ethiopia, a country at the time plagued by a civil war and a terrible famine. It was rewarding for me to provide administrative support to the Belgian Air Force which was air-dropping food aid to remote population in the mountainous areas.
After my assignment in Ethiopia, I spent a few years in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Brussels before being sent to Rome to be Deputy Head of Mission of the Belgian Embassy to the Holy See while my wife was Economic Advisor of the bilateral embassy to the Quirinale.
Back in Brussels, I became diplomatic advisor and then “chef de cabinet” (head of the private staff) of the Belgian Minister of Defense.
From September 1999 to August 2003, I was ambassador in Slovakia, while my wife was Permanent Representative of Belgium to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna. Since both cities, Bratislava and Vienna, are very close, I could often be with my wife.
We may thus add Istanbul to the list of former imperial cities where we were posted: Moscow, Addis Ababa, Rome and Vienna.
Could you summarize your ambitions in your new assignment?
The basic task of a Belgian consulate general is to promote Belgium’s commercial and cultural interests in the country of assignment and also to assist the Belgians expatriates and tourists, helping them to solve administrative problems.
My main ambition as a new consul general of Belgium in Istanbul is to keep the momentum of the initiatives of my very active predecessors.
To that end, I need to maintain and, if possible, to further extend the network of relations they could build up with the very dynamic society in Istanbul. In particular, I want take advantage of people like you, Mr. YUMAK, who have a deep knowledge and understanding of both countries, Turkey of course but also Belgium. In my eyes, you are an important support to my activities.
Another ambition is to keep my government informed of the impressive developments in the immense city of Istanbul that is more populated than Belgium.
Moreover, Istanbul will be in 2010 Cultural Capital of Europe and this is, of course, a fantastic opportunity to strengthen the cultural ties between Belgium and Istanbul and to improve the mutual knowledge of our societies.
To help me in my task, I may fortunately rely on a very dynamic, competent and dedicated team of colleagues in the consulate general. I am therefore very optimistic. I also look forward to welcoming a new Flemish Trade Representative joining the team in the coming weeks to replace Mrs. Katharina DESMET, who for many years made a fantastic job and who was so well connected with the Istanbul economic community.
Which are the main challenges you foresee in carrying out your mission?
One main challenge is grasping the diversity and the complexity of the multicultural and multi-religious society of a booming city with a very young population. In such a dynamic environment, keeping up with all what is happening in the various fields - economic, social, and cultural – requires an inquiring and open mind.
A second challenge is maintaining good working and friendly relations with the numerous important personalities running the development of Istanbul. I am not worried in this respect since I could already experience the cordiality of all my interlocutors and their readiness to help me. Although I didn’t ignore the high reputation of Turkish hospitality, I am still happily surprised by the very kind welcome I enjoy everywhere.
Another challenge for me will be to try to speak enough Turkish to be able to communicate with the people I meet. At my age, it may not be that easy to memorize the vocabulary and the grammar.
There is a last challenge, which is a very pleasant but not an easy one. I would like to take the opportunity of my stay in Turkey to visit not only the magnificent city of Istanbul, but also your fascinating country, its stupendous landscapes, the charm of its many cities with such a glorious past and the numerous archeological treasures left by centuries of brilliant civilizations. I fear that my stay won’t be long enough to allow me to visit all the sites I would like to visit.
How do you feel in Istanbul?
I really feel great in Istanbul. It was actually my dream to be posted in Istanbul. I was nevertheless not too optimistic because Istanbul is such a fantastic place that competition with my fellow diplomats was fierce. All is well that ends well, and I am a therefore a very happy man. My wife is equally thrilled to be in Istanbul.
I paid my first visit to Istanbul more than 30 years ago. I was still a university student and I was already stunned by the splendor of the more than once imperial capital, one of the most beautiful, if not the most beautiful, city in the world.
I notice now tremendous changes. The infrastructures of the city have dramatically improved. I find the bridges on the Bosporus stupendous. I must admit that, before coming to Istanbul, I feared that the bridges would spoil the splendid environment but, in fact, they integrate perfectly in the landscape. I see that transport infrastructures are very modern and I know that there are very ambitious projects to expand them further. I was also surprised to see how beautifully some squares were rehabilitated. I have also been told that millions of trees have been planted. This exemplifies what I said before about Istanbul undergoing very rapid changes. Hopefully, modernization of the city and urban development, if carefully managed, will not spoil the very precious heritage from the past that attracts so many tourists. Both my wife and I hope to stay as long as possible in Istanbul where we are already sure to make a lot of friends. I should add that our grown up children in Belgium are very excited at the prospect of visiting us in Istanbul.