The annual gathering of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is taking place next door. Fifteen years ago, it would have been difficult to believe that these meetings would take place in Turkey. People were very desperate and had lost confidence in everything about their home country. I can also hear the sound of police sirens and shouts coming from a small crowd of protestors outside my office. I read that protests on the first day of the events took on an international standard -- throwing a shoe at the speaker.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan gave a very nice speech during the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) congress. The speech centered on taking significant action toward peace efforts. The Turkish Cabinet fairly recently gathered for a joint session with the Syrian Cabinet and decided to lift the visa requirement between Turkey and Syria. The approach to Syria and the welcoming approach from the Syrian side is unbelievable -- many international lawyers will concur that we experienced difficulties in legal matters with Syria due to a lack of agreements between these two countries in several areas. I heard of several people interrogated by the Mukhabarat (Syria's intelligence agency) for hosting Turks in their houses.
Furthermore, the Turkish Cabinet and the Iraqi Cabinet are planning to hold a joint session in the coming days. I feel Iraq will be the next country to become rich as a result of its oil resources, and this will carry the country's living standards to a higher level, I hope. Having rich neighbors is always good. Turkish contractors and businessmen are now based in Iraq. We have even stronger ties with Iraq than with Syria. There is a significant Turkish population living in Iraq. Iraqi Turkmens will have more say in the coming period and will hopefully have an opportunity to gain their rights.
There is also President Abdullah Gül, who is working to gather Turkic-speaking leaders. Turkey is looking to strengthen its relations with Central Asia and beyond.
There is an ambitious effort to overcome century-long problems with Armenia. The Armenian influence on Turkish architecture is now widely being discussed. There was a time when people dared not even speak about this topic.
The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) now has a channel broadcasting in Kurdish. I remember times when we, as young children, used to watch Greek TV cartoons. They were broadcasted on two channels and in color. TRT has now covered a wide range of Ramadan programs live from Iraq to Bosnia, in an effort to showcase that we have common roots.
These are all good news for countries with an interest in this region. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has used all the resources at his disposal to build a strong and solid Turkish foreign policy. Turkey is a modest country, and once its foreign policy is successfully sorted out, local matters will be much easier to handle.
There is always one best way to go. I wish to see a unified Parliament pick up on that best way -- especially in foreign policy matters.
NOTE: Berk Çektir is a licensed attorney at law and available to answer questions on the legal aspects of living in Turkey. Send enquiries to b.cektir@todayszaman.com. The names of the readers are disclosed only upon written approval of the sender. DISCLAIMER: The information provided here is intended to give basic legal information. You should get legal assistance from a licensed attorney at law while conducting legal transactions and not just rely on the information in this corner.
