He failed signally to take advantage of the overtures of the then Turkish leader, Turgut Ozal, in the late 1980s.

ECONOMIST: From the archive

On 12 September 1990 - two months Mrs Thatcher resigned as UK prime minister - Mr Ozal sent her a letter.

BBC: Asil Nadir trial: Turkish President wrote to Thatcher

Mr Kotil, an American-trained mechanical engineer, says the turnaround began in the early 1990s under Turgut Ozal, the president at the time.

ECONOMIST: Business in Turkey