Those who know me well know that I served as Honorary Consul of Costa Rica since 2008. Until I officially resigned on 17 December of last year. There are two main reasons for my departure:
1) My term of service has expired
I have always considered the position of Honorary Consul of Costa Rica a public service. In my opinion, the maximum term of public service in a position is 10 years. I first hinted at leaving in 2018, the year I completed 10 years. At the time, I even asked, “Costa Rica Honorary Consul: Is it over or should we continue?” I wrote a detailed article entitled: https://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/kosta-rika-fahri-konsoloslugu-tamam-mi-devam-mi-
In this article, I briefly explained how the United Arab Emirates Ambassador, Francisco Chacón Hernández, first met with me in person, and then that we met with then-Minister of Foreign Affairs Manuel González in the VIP lounge of Atatürk Airport. I also wrote about the common ground reached in this meeting as follows:
“During our three-hour conversation, many topics were discussed. When it came to my position, Chacón spoke first, followed by the Minister. I reiterated my own thoughts.
Then the Minister asked me, “Where will we find someone for this position who shares your values, who carries out the work in the same way you do, and who never loses his idealism?” When I asked, the conversation, which lasted about half an hour, reached a conclusion. I told them that I had someone like that in mind, but unfortunately, he had also moved abroad. I added, “In that case, I shouldn’t necessarily think of leaving my position next year, but I’ll just continue until I find someone to hand over the baton. Would that be okay with you?” The minister nodded, and we shook hands. Afterward, I saw the minister and the deputy undersecretary off to their aircraft.
I kept my promise. My candidate, who I believed could best manage Costa Rica-Turkey relations, returned to Turkey, and we contacted him again immediately afterward and reached an agreement. After that, I nominated him.
2) My desire to focus on my sustainability work
I’ve juggled many tasks in the past. From now on, I want to simplify my work, focus on projects that are important to me, and complete projects I’ve put off for a long time. I’d like to finally complete projects I’ve been working on for a long time, such as solar cell and panel production. Therefore, I decided to leave the socially beneficial and enjoyable work I do, such as civil society work and the Honorary Consulate of Costa Rica, to prioritize my work in the field of sustainability, which is crucial for the future of humanity. Last November, I abandoned all my NGO work (TİDER, Disaster Platform) and submitted my resignation letter from my position as Honorary Consul of Costa Rica.
Exactly one month after submitting this letter, on December 17th, I resigned from my position. Approximately a month and a half after my departure, in early February, I traveled to Costa Rica with the person I nominated for Honorary Consul of Costa Rica and visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs one last time. I introduced this person to officials from the Costa Rican Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Thankfully, they arranged a special meeting for me.
Costa Rica, where I visited in February this year, was an enjoyable experience in every way. I visited the Costa Rican Ministry of Foreign Affairs one last time, saw old friends, and enjoyed a short vacation. Frankly, the only thing that broke my heart during this process was that, despite immediately nominating the new Honorary Consul candidate in Istanbul, whom I had introduced to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and promising to send the official note to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they didn’t do so. Frankly, the Costa Ricans I know keep their word; I don’t understand what stopped them from doing so. However, I have a guess, and I hope it’s wrong. I hope this mistake is corrected and the position is filled by someone truly worthy.
My past articles on Costa Rica
I’ve done my best to address Costa Rica in the past. Convincing then-President Oscar Arias to organize the first official visit from Central America to Turkey in 2009 and opening embassies (both the Turkish Embassy in San Jose and the Costa Rican Embassy in Ankara) in 2014, exactly five years after that visit, were turning points in this process. As a reminder, I’m sharing the links to my Costa Rica-themed articles below:
“Happy Bi-Centennial to Costa Rica!”: https://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/kosta-rikanin-200-yili-kutlu-olsun
“Latin American countries preparing to celebrate their 200th anniversary”: https://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/200-yillarini-kutlamaya-hazirlanan-latin-amerika-ulkeleri
“The last general elections in Costa Rica and what they taught us”: https://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/kosta-rikadaki-son-secimler-ve-bize-ogrettikleri
“Costa Rica and the irresistible poetry of existence”:https://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/kosta-rika-ve-varolmanin-dayanilmaz-siirselligi
“Political thought in Latin America and its adaptation to our region”: https://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/latin-amerikada-politik-dusunce-ve-bolgemize-uyarlamasi
“Honorary Consulate of Costa Rica: Completed or continued?”: https://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/kosta-rika-fahri-konsoloslugu-tamam-mi-devam-mi-
“Jose Sancho Exhibition: A story of art and friendship”: https://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/jose-sancho-sergisi-bir-sanat-ve-dostluk-oykusu
“My ‘Pura Vida’ bond with Costa Rica will never be severed”: https://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/kosta-rika-ile-pura-vida-bagim-hicbir-zaman-kopabilirsiniz
“Entering my final term as Honorary Consul of Costa Rica”: https://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/kosta-rika-fahri-konsolosu-olarak-son-doneme-girerken
“Five years as Honorary Consul of Costa Rica (2010-2015)”: https://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/kosta-rika-fahri-konsolosu-olarak-gecen-5-yil-2010-2015
“2009: A turning point in Turkish-Costa Rica relations”:
https://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/2009-turkiye-kosta-rika-iliskilerinde-donum-yili
“My experiences as Honorary Consul of Costa Rica in Istanbul https://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/kosta-rika-istanbul-fahri-konsolosu-olarak-yasadiklarim
“Costa Rica at the World Cup” Rica”: https://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/dunya-kupasinda-kosta-rika
“Pura Vida” or Filling Life with Meaning”:https://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/pura-vida-veya-yasami-anlamla-donatmak
Problems overcome, beauty experienced
My last term was all about problem-solving. We helped many Costa Ricans, especially those trying to return to their country due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The situation at airports is well known; not everyone can travel, and entry and exit are a serious problem. Somehow, despite the challenges, we always succeeded in everything we did and helped many Costa Ricans return to their country through Istanbul Airport. Of course, we also dealt with all sorts of problems, including those who lost their passports, those who experienced theft, those who found a Turkish partner online and then regretted their decision and decided to return home. We did everything we could for the Costa Ricans and ensured their swift return to their country. Of course, we also duly completed the routine documentation. We also organized some wonderful events. For example, the concert held in Ankara last year for Costa Rica’s Bicentennial, which it celebrated with other Latin American countries, was wonderful.
One of the last projects I undertook for Costa Rica was the erection of a bust of national hero Juan Rafael Mora Porras (I’ll use an analogy for Turks: Costa Rica’s Atatürk) in Gül Park in the Çankaya district of Ankara. We worked with the current ambassador for three years to build this bust. I can even say that I personally financed the process. Ultimately, although I left in December last year, I attended the ceremony held on 15 September, Costa Rica’s 201st anniversary. Of course, at such a ceremony, past events flash before your eyes like a film reel. I was pleased that our efforts were successful. I’m delighted that from now on, official ceremonies related to Costa Rica will be held in front of Juan Rafael Mora Porras’s bust in Rose Park.
Once again and always: Pura Vida!
Incidentally, I’d like to emphasize a fact, since I’m asked so often: As Honorary Consul of Costa Rica, you don’t receive any income. This job, as the name suggests, is “Honorary,” meaning “Voluntary.” My greatest motivation in fulfilling this role has been Costa Ricans of good character and the Costa Rican philosophy and values that perfectly align with my own personal values (e.g., the Pura Vida Philosophy, the instinct to protect nature, promoting peace in all circumstances, etc.). Of course, I can say that I liked all but three of the hundreds of Costa Ricans I’ve met during this time. Costa Ricans are generally respectful, cheerful, positive, and fun people. I’ll leave the names of these three people alone (they still hold their positions; it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to complain about them in this article). As is customary in Turkey, they let their egos get the better of me when dealing with them, backstabbing, and obstructing future developments. May God bless you. However, exceptions are the rule: I love Costa Rica and Costa Ricans, and Costa Rica will always hold a special place in my heart.
I would like to wholeheartedly thank all the esteemed heads of state, foreign ministers, and foreign ministry officials who supported me over the past 14 years, and Ninoska Gutierrez, who worked with me for 14 years, managing the affairs of the Honorary Consulate. Thank you. Much gratitude!
Finally, Costa Rica’s famous motto will continue to be my philosophy of life: Pura Vida!
Tag: memoir
