| ERNESTO GÓMEZ ABASCAL | Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba |
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Relations Between Cuba And Turkey In The Historical Context |
The distance however, was not obstacle so that the famous Turkish navigator Piri Reis, made as early as in the first decades of the century 16, maps of the Caribbean Sea where is located Cuba with an incredible accuracy. It is even debated among the specialists the enigma of how he could carry out them.
Other interesting geographical fact is the name from the very near islands to the northeast coast of Cuba: Turks and Caicos. Caic, is a Turkish word that means "boat" Do they have something to do these names with the Turkish early presence in the region?
In the most western Cuban province, Pinar del Rio, there is a little bay with the name of “mataturcos” (kill the Turks). It would be necessary to investigate and discover if there, some misfortune happened to citizens of this friendly country.
In the Navigation Registers exists the information that in the Port of Havana, it was anchored, in date so early as February 28 of 1596, the Spanish ship San Agustín among whose rowers had 45 Muslims, apparently 15 of them Turks, with the names of: Ramadan and Mommy, from Negroponte; Atia, from Telez; Alicalari, from Drahaman; Isufe, Rexefe, Isain, Alí, Beli and Brahen from Anatolia; and others from Rodas and the Black Sea.
I found a really interesting fact registered in documents of the Cuban National Archive. In 1640 an English merchant ship was captured to the south of Cuba and in front of the costs of Panama, by a Turkish corsair. From where such a corsair proceeded? Possibly in the Archives of the Indias of Sevilla, Spain, or in those of Istanbul, would be possible to find more information.
Carlos Manuel de CESPEDES is an essential personality in the history of Cuba and is considered “the Father of the Homeland”. He was the one who began, in October 10 of 1868, the armed insurrection against the Spanish colonial domain. Lawyer, intellectual cultured and rich landowner, united to the scream of independence the grant of the freedom to the slaves. It was the first president of the Republic of Cuba in Arms. Between 1842 and 1844, he had carried out a trip for Europe that took him, among other countries, to Turkey, Palestine and Egypt. During his travel he studied their customs, history, laws and social atmosphere and went into the culture of these peoples to return to Cuba with new ideas and dreams of freedom.
Investigating more in the history of Cuba, and also in the century 19, we find in José MARTÍ writings, ideologist of the National Independence who died in combat in 1895, but whose thought has validity until our days, some references to Turkey in the time of the Ottoman Empire.
In the voluminous Complete Works published in Havana, that include numerous works as journalist, critic, writer and revolutionary politician, we find the following notes extracted fundamentally of articles published in the press in the last decades of the 1800:
Volume 14, p. 13: "Turkey protests to Spain for actions of diplomatic courtesy in Rumanía” and he says: "weak they are already the links that unite The Door with the tributary state of Rumanía."
P. 80: (about the Tunician revolt against France) “Turkey in the quiet encourages them... ...instigating the tunecinos and sending troops to Trípoli. Are these casual facts?”
P. 113: "The revolt in Egypt has as end the suppression of the European power in Arab lands. It starts up from Constantinople, invades the Isthmus, arrives to Trípoli and shakes to Tunisia the Mohammedan wave. . .sleeped, but not evaporated, at the end of the Middle Age. The National Party, represented by the militia of Egypt and winner, accepts all law that comes from Turkey. But resists, as if it were an unique feeling in fifteen thousands agittated chests, all landing of Christian troops, all European intervention. As Egypt lives under the protectorate of Turkey, England wants, to win the battle, without to expose its soldiers neither to burden its treasure, that Turkey compresses the revolt. Turkey on the other hand, flattered by the revolt assault and for the patriotic rebelliousness of the National Party of Egypt, won't compress those that if they were one day their enemies in domestic differences, they are brought near now and they choose it as mother, in the great Mohammedan resurrection that in the lands of sky of gold and seas of turquoise is projected." "The European invaders cannot hide their desire to appropriate of the countries of North Africa and to defeat the Sultan of Turkey whose government hates." "The National Party, impatient and robust, presents the battle that England, not prepared and surprised refuses and delays. Feeling stronger with this fear, and yesterday's victory, and the general spirit of the Arabic people and the tacit applause of Turkey, (this scenario) will give, to the National Party more encouragement to the combat...."
P. 295: " How long it take in being solved the historical problems! Still remain, at the doors of Constantinople, the conquer of Asia. On what slack mount, floats now the robe of Suleimán the Magnificent!.”
Volume 15, p. 113: "Italy runs the risk of coming to be distributed earth and cutted into pieces like they have been Turkey and Greece, to give happiness to those big powers that are today gentlemen of the earth (referring to England and France).
Volume18, p. 368 and 369: (speaking of the Roman Empire in the book “The Age of Gold", written especially for the children) “…they went making on the side of the Persians and the Arabs, where now Turkey is, monuments, houses like palaces, with the columns of rich stones and the floor of little stones of colors and the paintings in the walls with the bottom of gold and golden glasses. There were rails in the Byzantine houses made with mixture of all the metals that shone as fire...."
In another chronicle he refers: "The Turkish governor from Jerusalem has received orders of the Sultan Abdul Hamid for restarting the work of restoration of Salomón's temple and of cleaning of brashes the famous mosque of Omar, that he receives every year the amount of 75 thousand dollars in pilgrims' gifts and believers. In these reformations are said that Turkey accepts the desires of Austria with whose emperor the sultan lives in narrow friendship, like with a powerful that could help him from the threaten of Russia."
Volume 23, p. 262. Lastly, but I have not mentioned everything, he writes: "One of the most remarkable men in the modern Turkey has died in Constantinople. Ruchdi Pachá was called and it was man of State and author of books. He was born in Constantinople in 1819 and was general, minister of war and skilled diplomat... great because of the advice and brave in the battle, had him the Turks..."
Who wrote these chronicles, José MARTÍ, -a person with incredible vision of future- died at the beginning of the last stage of the War of Independence against Spain. During those years of terrible conflict, almost finishing the century 19, when the Spanish Crown -as to say of their own authorities- had drained until the last man and the last peseta in their zeal to already maintain under their control its only (included Puerto Rico) colonial possession in America, was in Havana the Turkish general Enver Pachá with the mission of inform to the authorities of the Ottoman Empire the development of the war events that there was happening. His reports, perhaps of great historical interest, it would be necessary to look for them in the files of the time in Istanbul.
Even under the military occupation of the United States, and previous approval of a Constitution that included an amendment (well-known as Amendment Platt), where the right of the United States was consecrated to intervene in the Island, a Cuban government was chosen. In the historical files of the Ministry of Foreign Relationships of Cuba I found a disclosed note dated November 10 of 1903, where the Department of State in Washington informs the Cuban Minister of Foreign Relationships, at that time the Dr. Gonzalo of Quesada that the Turkish government has not accepted to recognize to the United States, protection right or consular authority on the Cuban citizens, that which can be interpreted as a recognition from Turkey to the independence of Cuba against the pretenses of Washington.
There was Ottoman presence in the war of independence of Cuba against Spain, but that it is known, not specifically Turk. An important emigration had begun especially in the century 19 that it came from the Lebanon, Syrian and Palestine. They were not few those that signed up in the independent insurrection. An example of one of those was Captain of the Liberation Army, Elías Tuma, of Lebanese origin. This emigration was increased even more in the first decades of the twenty century , when the Ottoman Empire crumbled and the First World War took place. Many were called Turkish in spite of being Arab, because they carried documents of this country and it is grateful that they contributed elements to the formation of the Cuban national culture.
However, the diplomatic relationships among our countries were not established officially up to November 23 of 1952, when in Cuba governed a ferocious dictatorship and the world, concluded the Second World War, was buried in what was call the “Cold War." At the end of the years 50, the Turkish ambassador accredited in Havana, concurred first from the Turkish Embassy in Washington and later from Mexico. Cuba accredited a residing ambassador in Ankara, for the first time in 1982. But the relationships were not really intensified until more recent years.
In this sense, the visit of president Fidel CASTRO to Istanbul in 1996, in occasion of the Summit of Habitat, marked a special landmark for the magnificent welcome he received so much at official level as popular, and the contacts that settled down with important Turkish authorities. Since then it have been signed at least 12 important Agreements with different government institutions to sum up and to promote the relationships in different spheres; there have taken place 6 intergovernmental meetings of the Economic, Commercial and Scientific-technical Commissions of Collaboration; 7 Cuban ministers have visited Ankara and 13 Turks have made it to Havana presiding over important delegations, included the Chancellors of both countries, in what perhaps constitutes the biggest exchange in Turkey with a Latin American country. Even more intense has been the exchange at level of cultural, sport and social, included delegations which represents political parties, that have helped to solidify and to enlarge even more the understanding among our people
With special importance we should speak about tourism, still in modest, but not worthless figures that in spite of the distance and of the absence of direct flights, increases every year and it is a sample of the growing interest that exists in Turkey for Cuba. There are plans to start regular flights between Istanbul and Havana in the year 2006.
In the trade whose mount is even small, the bases have been created for a growth in next years. We have covered a stage of mutual knowledge and identification of interests. In Turkey we can find some Cuban traditional products and other novel ones, as medications coming from our biotechnical industry.
To conclude, we can affirm that Cuba and Turkey don't have disputes that separate them in the political order and diplomat. We almost always have coincident positions about the main topics of international interest and we maintain a strong collaboration in the United Nations and others International Organizations. Cuba has manifested to support the aspiration of Turkey to be member of the Security Council of the UN. Both countries are firm defenders of the national independence and reject the interference in our internal affairs, we don't accept the hegemonism, we are against the war, for the peace and the peaceful solution of the conflicts.
Our peoples, of noble feelings and fraternal spirit, in spite of having important differences in their history, culture and religion, have a lot of identity in feeling national pride and to defend their own values and their fighting and resistance history. These principles unite us and constitute the foundations of a strong friendship.