Turkey
Istanbul
The largest city, and also the cultural and economic center of Turkey is an absolute must-see. Its diverse history, the architectural relics left behind by different cultures make the city a real touristic sweet-spot, and what's more, visiting Istanbul also helps to get an impression about the energy (economical and other) that strains in this region of Asia. Istanbul showcases the modernity and economic strength of Turkey, a country aspiring to a regional lead role.
It was the capital until 1923, when Atatürk moved the capital to Ankara after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the proclamation of the republic. Ankara is the capital now but Istanbul remained the center economically and it is the most developed city in the country, with many large corporations headquartered here. The current extent of the city, along with the modern infrastructure, was developed after that the actual capital status moved to Ankara. Nonetheless most of the interesting cultural sights came into being much earlier considering that Istanbul has its roots in the ancient times when the small town of Byzantium was founded by the Greeks. Later it became part of the Roman Empire and the roman emperor Constantine the Great extended and completely reshaped the city. It became the capital of the eastern half of the Roman Empire in 330 AD with the name Constantinople.
After the fall of the western half, the Byzantin Empire carried on the legacy of the Roman Empire, and Constantinople was also the center of the orthodox church. But from the 14th century onwards, the empire had to face a new threat. The Ottoman conquest and expansion carved out an ever-increasing part of the Byzantin Empire. Eventually the Ottoman Empire encompassed what left from the empire which was eventually reduced further to the single city of Constantinople. However, Constantinople, this last bastion of the Byzantine Empire was difficult to take, it held out for a long time. When Mehmed II succeeded in 1453, he made it his capital. Partly because of its strategic location (right on the Bosphorus, and compared to the size of the empire at that time, the city was located rather in the center), but also for symbolic reasons: the legacy of Rome, the cultural heritage. And so, just because it was difficult to take, became an advantage for the new rulers too.
The location of Istanbul is a strategic advantage up to this day, and that goes also in cultural sense: due to the mass of people arriving here or looking for work here, it is a cultural melting pot that can create connections with other countries.
For a period of history, the Turkish Sultan went on his conquering campaigns from Istanbul. As times have changed, the conquest of our age is the economy and business, or at least it must be founded with wealth. So let us take a look on the role of Istanbul in the economy of Turkey and in its geopolitical aspirations.
Demography: ample and young workforce, while neighboring Europe is growing old
If we count in the agglomeration, 15 million of people fuel the city's economy and the population keeps on growing as many are looking for job here from all over a country of almost 90 million. A third of the entire country's workforce works here, representing a huge workforce literally on the edge of Europe as the Bosporous is actually the border between Europe and Asia. So, while the aging society is an increasingly pressing problem in the EU, the population in Turkey is still younger. Even here, the number of births has started to decrease, but the median age is still about 10 years lower than in the EU. Meaning that even if the labor supply will run out sooner or later, there is still a lot today, of which many qualified or highly qualified workforce, which is also shown by the companies that have been created and successfully operated.
There are now many high-tech companies among Turkish companies. For example in the military industry where Baykar Makina, a high-tech military technology company produces drones, or Aselsan deals with radar, satellite communications and other electronics (and is the largest company by capitalization on the Turkish stock exchange). Furthermore, Turkey is also present in SW development and in automobile manufacturing through the electric car manufacturing consortium called Togg.
Giant industrial conglomerates such as Koç Holding or Sabancı Holding have revenues comparable to global, overall-known companies. (For example, Koc's sales were $64.3 billion USD in 2025, somewhat behind that of such a company like Siemens which had €78.9 billion USD in 2025). That indicates that it is absolutely not the case that Turkey would only have underdeveloped companies and would remain in an assembly or lower value-added role solely waiting for Western investments. Instead, it strives to ride the high-tech trends such as the SW and defense industry. And when we talk about big companies, let's not forget about another big one: the airline. One of the highlights of the drive to expand business connections is Istanbul Airport, which is huge and is both a symbolic and practical manifestation of Istanbul's central, bridge-like role. Turkish Airlines flies to many points in Africa and Asia, so Istanbul Airport serves as a gateway to parts of the world with untapped potential.
Turkey's international ambitions
Turkey is reaching out indeed and seeking to deepen its cooperation both in the region and in more distant parts of the world.
The West. The modern era in Turkey began shortly after the first world war, in 1923 when the republic was proclaimed. After centuries of conquest and offensive foreign policy of the Ottoman Empire, a different approach began in foreign relations. Kemal Atatürk began to modernize Turkey in the 1920s and ‘30s with the aim to catch up with the level of Western countries. The reforms included secularism, legal reforms, and among many others the introduction of Latin characters (until then they had written in Arabic script). Western customs also spread in clothing, and women were given the right to vote as early as in 1934. A natural part of the whole process was the orientation towards the West and as its pinnacle Turkey became a member of NATO in 1952.
When it comes to the other major Western alliance, the EU, the intention to join did not lead to success. After endless negotiations, the accession process have completely stalled, partly because Turkey is not exactly following the path of democratization envisioned by the EU. Here too, and in general, the Western orientation has been somewhat overshadowed by the search for the own path and of a role in a changing world. Although in Istanbul the modernity and Western atmosphere is evident, the countryside is more traditional and rural Turks continue to adhere to Islam and traditions, with a significant lack of interest in a Western orientation. Western prospects have been, even if not completely, essentially overtaken by the aspiration for a regional leadership role.
Turkey is aspiring to a regional status
From a regional perspective, Turkey is continually developing its economic relations in Central Asia. This is facilitated, among other things, by the fact that the Turkish language is very similar to the languages of a group of Central Asian countries named as Turkic countries. These countries are: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan. Although historically the Turks came further from the east, these countries were founded by peoples who were in relation with the Turks. Their language and the Turkish are very similar, they can understand each other after a little practice. In addition to cultural cohesion, economic and geographical realities obviously help a lot. Turkey invests in the Central Asian region, in return it gains access to raw materials and energy carriers from there and thus forms a bridge not only logistically, but also technologically, as an intermediate goods processor between the EU and Central Asia.
Turkey is well positioned regionally in several aspects: it is a NATO member, but being a Muslim country, it also finds its natural environment among the Islamic countries of the Middle East. It uses multicultural attitude in a balanced way, acting as a mediator, economic or political intermediary, but often as a strong advocate for the interests of its border areas. Its entire policy is characterized by a balance between the West and the East: in addition to NATO membership and the (albeit stalled) EU membership candidacy, it also shows interest in non-Western groupings, indicating that it is looking for its place in the forming multipolar world order.
More distant horizons
Turkey is also looking for its place in international organizations that bring together emerging countries and trying to find connections in a region which is expected to reach its full potential in the future: Africa.
BRICS, a group of emerging economies (the name of the organization consists of the initials of the main partner countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) is intended to be an alternative to Western cooperative organizations. Turkey currently has partner status and has already applied for membership.
Regarding the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, this organization has been in existence for 3 decades and, as its name suggests, it promotes economic, political, stability, scientific and other cooperation between its members under the leadership of China. It is therefore a very Asian-oriented organization, in which Turkey has been a dialogue partner since 2012. While currently seeking full membership, if it were to gain the status, its peculiarity would be that Turkey would be the only member of this organization that is also a NATO member and closely integrated into the EU economy.
Africa, this still untapped continent which is rich in raw materials and labor, is influenced by a current struggle for dominance from several directions. Turkey is also trying to gain a foothold besides the Western powers, Russia and China. Since it does not have the seemingly inexhaustible resources like China, it is trying to assert itself with a different strategy: here too Turkey acts as a bridge, a mediator for example in local conflicts, constantly respecting cultural differences. The business case is similar to that of Central Asia: the raw materials and energy carriers are exchanged to infrastructure investments: roads, railways, airports and so on. It also comes into play that some of Turkey's most significant companies work in the defense industry, operating as suppliers to several African countries on government orders.
As we have seen, Turkey has very significant ambitions both in the region and on a wider horizon, in terms of business, cultural and political relations. Istanbul, as an economic center, is perfectly positioned to support these ambitions economically, while the political center remains Ankara. Walking around the city, we can experience the vibrant energy emanating from this area. The bridge role that Turkey wants to play with a conscious policy is most tangible in Istanbul from a geographical, economic and cultural point of view.