For the past fifteen-twenty years, the international turn of Turkish businesses has made it extremely important to educate international trade lawyers in law systems of other countries and the sources of international trade law systems. From the beginning of the liberalization process in Turkey in the 1980s, when the country became attractive to foreign investors, developments in information technology also made conducting international business attractive to the Turkish business community. These are the reasons why we decided to establish a research center focused on international trade law at the Koç University Law School. Together with Semahat, we created a one million dollar fund and put together a board of directors from trusted individuals. The center was founded in 2007 to keep a close watch on all these developments, conduct and publish research, organize academic meetings and conferences, provide training seminars, and create collaborations with international scholars and organizations. The center is an important response to the challenges faced by Turkish businesses competing in a globalized world market.
Nusret Arsel, Ana Duası (A Mother’s Blessing) Yapı Kredi Yayınları, Istanbul, 2012, p. 137