Answering questions on a range of subjects from Iran to the global financial crisis, Erdoğan also congratulated US President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden on their electoral success. One of the most striking statements Erdoğan made at this gathering was his remark on Iran's controversial nuclear program. He said: "We are against the possession of nuclear weapons in our region. We always give advice to Iran about this issue, and they tell us that they are not working on nuclear weapons. But those who ask Iran not to produce nuclear weapons should themselves give up their nuclear weapons first." These remarks drew criticism from some circles, who termed it a "blunder," while appreciated by others as courageous remarks. Milliyet's Semih İdiz is one of those who think that Erdoğan blundered while making the statement in the US about Iran's nuclear work, disproving earlier media claims that he wanted to have a bridge of dialogue with the Obama administration as a future investment for himself. "Let alone establishing a bridge of dialogue, Erdoğan has dropped a diplomatic brick even before the Obama administration gets to work," says İdiz, noting that Erdoğan's remarks immediately brought to mind the US's possession of nuclear weapons. "With this statement, Erdoğan has placed the US in the same nuclear equation as Iran. This will undoubtedly please Tehran as well as Islamic circles," he notes. According to İdiz, Erdoğan's challenging remarks will frustrate not only the US but also its NATO allies. İdiz claims that Erdoğan is not aware of Turkey's role in the formation of NATO's nuclear strategy and deployment of relevant systems. "Erdoğan's foreign policy advisers should tell him that simple logic does not work in diplomacy. Those at the helm of diplomacy should speak very carefully because things said without much thought can lead to big damage," warns İdiz.
Vatan's Okay Gönensin is also critical about the prime minister's remarks, saying they show Erdoğan has not thought much about the nuclear issue in general or Iran's nuclear weapons in particular and that those who inform him about these issues are not doing their jobs properly. "The prime minister did not think about what kind of an effect his remarks would have in the West, but also he forgot the policy of NATO -- of which Turkey is a member -- on Iran's nuclear program. It is possible to guess the reasons why Erdoğan defended Iran with these remarks; however, more important than this is the fact that a prime minister who defends Iran with such casual words may make other mistakes in foreign policy," says Gönensin.
Star's Aziz Üstel terms Erdoğan's statement on Iranian nuclear weapons as the most striking part of his speech that he delivered at Brookings. Contrary to what other columnists say, Üstel says it is impossible for anyone to disagree with what Erdoğan said, in calling on other countries which possess nuclear weapons to give them up before telling Iran to abandon its nuclear program.
