Time now for our regular Tuesday slot the Global Perspective, today's destination is the country of the Turkey. Officially the Republic of Turkey, it is a transcontinental country located mainly in Western Asia, with a smaller portion on the Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe. Straddling the continents of Europe and Asia, Turkey's strategically important location has given it major influence in the region - and control over the entrance to the Black Sea. Progress towards democracy and a market economy was halting after Ataturk's death in 1938, and the army - seeing itself as guarantor of the constitution - repeatedly ousted governments seen as challenging secular values.

GUEST: Her Excellency Ambassador, Elif Çomoğlu Ülgen, the Turkish Ambassador to South Africa