Nation branding has gained pace in Türkiye in recent years with a special emphasis on diplomacy, culture and defense besides the already popular tourism sector. Being a strategy that results from an effort to stand out on the international scene, the upcoming years will see Ankara focus on enhancing a positive perception while branding its strengths.
Although Türkiye currently ranks 37th out of 60 countries in the Anholt-Ipsos Nation Brands Index of 2023, the country is set on increasing its rank and has created the Türkiye Brand Office within this scope in 2022. Ankara’s branding effort can potentially boost economic growth by illuminating the country’s products and assets or drawing in investment. On the political side, it is a beneficial tool to advance foreign relations, and through promoting and introducing the national identity, developing social power relations and agenda-setting is possible.
The Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF), the third edition of which is to start on Friday, is one of the biggest brands that Türkiye established and is on its way to taking its place among the long-established forums and summits of its kind. The forum fills a global gap by focusing mainly on diplomacy and showcases the organizational capability of Türkiye’s 500-year foreign ministry tradition. Since the last ADF in 2022, the Ukraine-Russia war broke out, as well as the war in Gaza, leading the ministry to choose the theme “Advancing Diplomacy in Times of Turmoil” to highlight the message of solving conflicts at the table through diplomacy. After having hosted a mosaic of participants ranging from the NATO chief, the Taliban, Libya’s prime minister, the Armenian foreign minister and several more high-level officials from all continents of the world in 2022, the ADF this year boasts around 20 heads of state, 57 representatives from international organizations as well as more than 70 ministers of 147 countries – covering most nations of the globe. While becoming a platform for discussion, the forum also provides a stage for bilateral meetings and even the signing of agreements. Through the ADF, Türkiye’s tourism pearl, Antalya, has gained a second brand identity.
Alongside the ADF, Turkish diplomacy is also becoming a brand in the field of mediation. Despite being a middle country, Türkiye has been at the fore of global mediation efforts in recent years as conflicts have proliferated around the world. The government has been a major player both in the ongoing Ukraine war as well as Gaza right now. The first and last time the Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministers came together after the war was again at the ADF. Türkiye and Finland launched the “Mediation for Peace” initiative at the U.N. Moreover, the country took part in forming the “Group of Friends of Mediation” at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) while contributing to the mediation capacity of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and hosting the “İstanbul Mediation Conferences.”
On the other hand, Türkiye’s defense industry, which has shined as one of its most successful brands so far, has topped the international agenda and gained widespread media coverage last week as Türkiye’s domestically developed fifth-generation fighter jet, “KAAN,” completed its first flight. The jet will make Türkiye one of the few countries with the infrastructure and technology to produce a fifth-generation combat aircraft after its global success in armed drones. The vision to develop a strong national defense industry, combined with Türkiye’s young and skilled engineer human capacity, will take the country even further in the defense industry in the upcoming period. Within this scope, the world’s largest aviation, space and technology festival, Teknofest, is a major stimulant to attract and educate Türkiye’s youth in these fields at an early age. The annual festival in 2022 has taken its first step out of Türkiye and organized one of its editions in Azerbaijan.
Another area that promises greater potential as a new brand for Türkiye is the Culture Road Festivals. Turkish culture is already gaining popularity through the efforts of institutions such as the Yunus Emre Institute or popular Turkish series, yet Ankara also aims to get the culture road festivals internationalized. The festival is city/district-centered and is a scene for arts, crafts, gastronomy, conversation, shows, entertainment and much more. Moreover, in terms of surface area and duration, it is the world’s largest cultural festival. The festival, which is organized in a growing number of cities across Türkiye every year, attracts domestic tourism, supports local craftsmen, gives local artists a chance to gain nationwide recognition and increases interest in arts. With a special focus on attracting international media and participation in upcoming festivals, the Culture Road can become another global brand of Türkiye and revive arts.