The details of a closed-door meeting which took place in 1990 between the 8th President of the Republic of Turkey Turgut Özal and then-British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher have surfaced, in which Özal, referred to as the 'amiable, devout' leader, speaks about Turkey-European Economic Community relations, the unification of Germany and the situation in the Soviet Union with the 'Iron Lady' of Britain.
The meeting reportedly took place during the 75th Anniversary of the Commemoration Ceremonies for the Gallipoli War in Turkey's western Çanakkale province on April 25, 1990, where the two leaders held an-hour long meeting and discussed a number of issues according to the British National Archives, Anadolu Agency reported.
Özal reportedly warned Thatcher about potential issues in the Balkans amid disintegration of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and noted that the Azeris and the Lithuanians are being treated unjustly by the Soviets.
He also said that he 'does not believe that the imperial Soviet Union' will last for a long time, while Thatcher drew attention to the union's increasingly aggressive attitude and emphasized the importance of NATO to defend Western countries.
The late president also highlighted that Turkey should become a member of the European Customs Union by 1995, while Thatcher says that the union should not be expanded until the single market is applied to all countries.
In the footnotes containing background information on the late president, Özal is reportedly described as a devout Muslim, a short, chubby, and amiable leader, a good listener and a good speaker.
Born in 1927 to a Kurdish family, Özal, an electrical engineer, worked as a bureaucrat and later as an executive in the private sector. He made his foray into politics after he was nominated in the 1977 general elections by the right-wing National Salvation Party (Milli Selamet Partisi). He did not win in the elections, but was appointed as an adviser to the prime minister. In the post-coup government of 1980, he was appointed deputy prime minister in charge of economy but resigned in 1982. The founder of the Motherland Party, Özal won the 1983 elections and became prime minister. In 1989, he was elected president.
A larger-than-life figure in Turkish politics, Özal was known for his casual style, often appearing in public in a T-shirt or without a tie. During his prime ministry, which followed a strict military regime after the 1980 military coup, he carved an image for himself as a man of the people.
Özal is known as the architect of a series of reforms that contributed to the liberalization of the Turkish economy, while he was serving as an undersecretary in the government before the 1980 coup. He followed with more reforms that eventually boosted imports and exports. His conservative background, attempts to modernize the country and his push for economic reforms favored by Turkey's business circles secured wide appeal for the late president.
