Ülkü Kocaefe, ambassador of Türkiye to Cambodia since July 2022, has played a pivotal role in strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries.

Her tenure has been marked by active engagement in various diplomatic, cultural and development initiatives aimed at fostering deeper connections. 

The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) is Türkiye’s main organisation for development assistance and international cooperation, focusing on sectors like education, health, agriculture and cultural preservation. Operating under the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, TİKA has supported over 150 countries to promote sustainable development and global peace.

One key project is the Cham Silk initiative in Cambodia, aimed at preserving the traditional craft of Cham Silk weaving, which faced a significant decline due to historical events, particularly during the Khmer Rouge era. 

In partnership with the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam), the organisation helps revive and promote the craft, providing economic opportunities and empowering women and girls through this sustainable development project.

In this Q&A, Kocaefe shares insights into her work, her role in enhancing diplomatic relations and the impact of cultural diplomacy in promoting mutual understanding between Türkiye and Cambodia.

Turkish ambassador to Cambodia Ülkü Kocaefe attended the SheTrades Exhibition, which will hold its official closing ceremony on November 19. DC-Cam

What inspired TİKA to support the Cham Silk project in Cambodia, and how does this align with Türkiye’s broader cultural preservation and development goals?

The Cham Silk project actually has many aspects that [TİKA] would like to support in its projects abroad. It's about cultural preservation; it's about sustainable income-creating activities. It has a gender aspect where women and young girls are more involved in this process and they are creating an income for themselves. 

It's also very important that tradition and culture are transferred to the younger generation. All that together, when DC-Cam approached TİKA to do the project, we thought that it was a very good idea and we are very happy to see that this has resulted in a successful joint effort.

How does TİKA collaborate with local organisations like DC-Cam to ensure the long-term sustainability of projects like Cham Silk?

Development cooperation is actually one of the most important aspects of Türkiye-Cambodia relations. We are very proud to be a development partner of Cambodia. 

TİKA supports projects in Cambodia, not according to our strategies and targets … we support projects that Cambodia would like us to support. 

Traditional techniques and cultural preservation are actually ideas that DC-Cam proposed to us.

A visitor speaks with a Cham Silk weaver at the SheTrades Exhibition. DC-Cam

As Turkish ambassador to Cambodia, what has been the most rewarding aspect of witnessing the success of this project?

This project is actually a very important one for me … it has a very strong gender aspect, women’s empowerment, tradition and the transfer of traditions to the younger generation. And as the Turkish ambassador to Cambodia, I'm very happy that we have been a part of this important project. 

Now we hope to move on to the second phase, which is creating awareness of … Cham Silk and promoting [it] in foreign markets.

How do you personally see the role of cultural diplomacy in strengthening bilateral relations between Türkiye and Cambodia?

I think cultural diplomacy is a very important part of our job … abroad. It's generally underestimated … cultural diplomacy is actually the way of diplomacy that creates links between people. 

I'm very happy to be a part of it. We also have other cultural diplomacy events in Cambodia like promoting Turkish cuisine, coffee day and similar events. This is an area that I hope that we will see a stronger cooperation between Türkiye and Cambodia in the future.