Sharyk Tara: "I consider the high degree of tension between Russia and Turkey to be a misfortune"

Sharyk Tara, the Honorary president of the Turkish holding company Enka, one of the leaders of the Turkish and Russian construction market, on the eve of his visit to Moscow shared with the Ekonomist his views on Russian-Turkish relations.

THE MOST AFFECTED IS BUSINESS

Relations between Russia and Turkey have not yet shown a tendency to reduce tensions. While the the people are focused on the politicians of the two countries, the sphere most affected by the crisis is business. Therefore, the Turkish magazine the Ekonomist decided to meet with a Turkish businessman who is recognized as one of the best experts on Russia, the honorary president of the Enka company, Sharyk Tara. He said that for the Turkish-Russian crisis ‘the only solution is dialogue’.

- As one of the first businessmen in the Russian market, you have made many investments in the country. How do you assess the latest developments in Russia?

- Recent developments for me are not so clear. Turkish-Russian relations are going to be established during the next decade. When we examine the history of these relations, we can see that those years when our relations were friendly are much more frequent than when they were hostile. We are neighbors with many common points of contact. And the last 25-30 years have been proceeding in an atmosphere of considerable mutual trust. And as a result, economic cooperation is developing. There are many areas in which we are mutually connected with each other economically. And as a society, we have become very close in recent years. The number of Turkish-Russian marriages has increased. The number of students mutually enrolled in universities has reached higher levels than ever before. And at such a moment, when the two communities are so close, I believe that the high degree of tension is a misfortune. I believe that common sense will prevail, and this tension will disappear soon. After all, we have common interests and there is a mutual interest of the two countries in each other. I think today's relations are a shame for both countries, and I hope that the situation will change.

«ON MY FIRST VISIT IN 2016 I WILL TRY TO MOVE RELATIONS TO A POSITIVE POINT"

- What decision do you expect? Do you have any suggestions?

- I think that all kinds of problems are always resolved through dialogue and tolerance. My hopes and expectations are in the same direction. Here, I think there is a need for a little mutual tolerance and dialogue. I plan to organize a visit to this area. I have very close friends that I have acquired over many years in Russia. On January 5th, despite the fact that it will be very cold, I will go to Russia.

- What is the reason for this visit?

- First of all, I want to raise the morale of the Enka employees. The second reason for my visit is to resume dialogue with my good friends. The conductor and artistic director of the orchestra, Vladimir Spivakov, loved by the Russian people and the leadership of the country, is my friend. I want to meet, discuss and exchange views on these topical issues.

- How many days do you plan to spend in Russia?

- As many as will be necessary. Depending on the contacts. I'll stay as long as it is necessary.

- When was the last time you visited Russia?

- Our business is mainly in Moscow and I visited Moscow two years ago. I will make my first visit in 2016 to move the relationship to a positive point. As I said, I'm going to visit the members of the holding and visit close friends.

- After the crisis, did you receive a call from representatives of our government? Were there consultations or meetings?

- No, I did not receive a call. Why they did not call, I do not know. But I would say that, for example, from Greece, George Papandreou is coming to me for a dinner party to consult.

''FOR MANY YEARS UNTIL TODAY WE HAVE HAD A LARGE INVESTMENT IN RUSSIA, AND IT CONTINUES."

- Recently, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a press conference with the participation of more than a thousand journalists. How do you assess his answers?

- As I said, both countries have their own interests. I see a solution in dialogue. At a time when economic interests are at there peak, there is an important relationship between us. There's our fault, but there is a bug from the Russian side as well. (Putin suggested that Turkey apologize) This is not a debate. If we apologize, what will change? Turkey has problems with energy. For example, what would happen if Russia stops gas supplies?

- Do you see such an opportunity?

- Of course Russia does not want to interrupt gas supplies, but if they are incited, they can do it. See, the Russians are grateful people. I have been working with them for many years, and many of them have become my friends.

- How many assets do you currently have in Russia? What investments are continuing? Have you suffered a loss?

- Let me say, first of all, that nothing will  happen to Enka. I would like to make any moves that will benefit my country. We have more real estate here than there. For many years and until now we had large investments in Russia, and they continue. Currently, the building of our store ‘Ramstore’ was dismantled in Moscow, and we rebuilt it once again. We have a lot of property in Moscow. This building is also in our property. We will update and increase its capacity. There will be parking for 3000 cars, and this upgrade will increase rental income. Our current business and our investments continue.

ENKA INVESTED $4 BILLION IN RUSSIA

The company ‘Enka’ until today has led construction activities in 43 countries. IT performs construction projects over a wide geographical range – from Papua New Guinea to the Balkan countries. In Papua New Guinea there is the US Consulate building. On one of the first foreign markets, the Russian market, the amount of investment in 30 years has exceeded $4 billion. Enka, owning in Russia, especially in Moscow, major real estate, has an annual rental income of more than $500 million.

SHARYK TARA RESOLVED THE CRISIS BETWEEN ALBANIA AND MACEDONIA

Sharyk Tara, known for his international connections, shared his memories about this: "There was serious tension between Albania and Macedonia. I brought a message from the Prime Minister of Albania, Sali Berisha, to the President of Macedonia, Kiro Gligorov. At a dinner party I said to Gligorov: "I bring you a message from Albania. We have no problem if they acknowledge the constitutional rights of the Albanians in Macedonia.’’ Macedonian President Gligorov admitted that there is no Albanian in the cabinet, and soon after our meeting he appointed three Albanians and one Turkish minister."

ENKA İnşaat ve Sanayi A.Ş. is a Turkish holding company, one of the leaders of the Turkish and Russian construction markets. Its headquarters is in Istanbul. The construction division of the company engaged in construction of industrial facilities, bridges, shopping malls, airports and pipelines in Turkey. The holding is (since September 2007) the owner of the company ‘Ramenka’, which is developing a network of the supermarkets ‘Ramstore’. The company's revenue in 2006 was $4 billion. the profit amounted to $445 million.

Enka in Russia

Enka worked in Moscow in the years of the Soviet Union. In 1988, the holding company was involved in several construction projects, including the restoration and reconstruction of the historical building of the Moscow Petrovsky Passage and the construction of a hospital for veterans of the Great Patriotic War. Since the beginning of the 1990s the company has been operating  in Russia. In 1993 Enka volunteered to restore the White House after the tragic events of October 1993. The holding participated in the reconstruction of the buildings of the State Duma and the Russian government. It built the large residential districts of the town of Krasnodar, which residents call ‘Enka’ (officially it is the Marshal Zhukov district). The holding has built hypermarkets of IKEA in St. Petersburg and Kazan, the contractor selected to build the plants of Toyota and General Motors in St. Petersburg. Enka owns about 135 thousand sq. m of office space in Moscow and constructed several of the towers in the ‘Moscow City’ complex. The retail business of Enka in Russia is operated by the LLC "Enka TC". In 2008 the majority of ‘Ramstore’ supermarkets, which are managed by the company ‘Enka TC’ were sold to the French group ‘Auchan’. At the beginning of 2010 the company "Enka TC" operated 10 ‘Capitol’ shopping centers and 17 ‘Ramstore’ supermarkets, which were renamed ‘Sitistor.’ In 2015 Forbes magazine put Enka and its owner Sharyk Tara in 7th place in the ranking of the largest owners of commercial real estate in Russia, the rental income amounted to $412 million. According to the 2014 Forbes list of billionaires, Tara, who owns the construction company Enka with capital of $3.3 billion, was in second place on the list after Murat Ulker. Third place went to the Fiba Holding CEO, Husnu Ozyegin ($3 billion).