“I know very well that all these are part of a smear campaign launched by a few ‘so-called’ intellectuals and authors mostly in the West. They know better. Yet they try to distort facts on the ground with futile attempts,” he said aboard a plane in Spain last Saturday. When I asked whether he pays attention to these articles, he said, “Absolutely not.”I can understand why. He is in direct talks with numerous political players and diplomatic actors in many countries to make his case about Turkey. He spends three-quarters of a month abroad, shuttling from one capital to another, with the aim of resolving crises, calming tensions and informing counterparts on fast-developing situations.
“Parties we consult know by heart that we are sincere, and they appreciate the rising role of Turkey in calming tensions in the Middle East, the Balkans and the Caucasus,” he said, stressing that Turkey is tied to the West more than ever now that it has more political capital to spend in the East.
From involvement in Afghanistan to continuing efforts to create a common political ground among warring factions in Iraq, from promoting reconciliation in Lebanon’s fragile democracy to mediating between Bosnia and Serbia, Turkey’s active engagement garners the appreciation of many friends in the West as well as in the East.
His remarks were certainly reciprocated by many leaders in the West. About a week ago, I was with a select group of reporters interviewing the assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, Philip Gordon, in Ankara. He categorically dismissed all these allegations and rumors of a change in orientation and said, “We are neither surprised nor worried about Turkey’s engagement in the East.” Gordon further added that Turkey has legitimate reasons for engaging with neighbors in the East. “Turkey remains a country with strong and close ties with the West; it’s certainly a close partner to us,” the senior US official emphasized.
After returning from Spain, Davutoğlu made a convincing case to Parliament during deliberations over the Foreign Ministry’s budget. “These are foreign publications aimed at limiting the rising influence of Turkish foreign policy and planting seeds of suspicion around it,” he said, stressing that the orientation of Turkish foreign policy will always be Ankara centered. He reiterated that Turkey does not have the luxury of turning away from the US, Europe, the Middle East or Central Asia, for that matter.
It turns out the active engagement in the East has added benefits for Turkey and is paying dividends to our Western friends and allies as well. Turkey’s credibility as a sincere and honest partner in Iraq, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Caucasus and Central Asian countries is proving to be an invaluable asset in the eyes of many of our friends.
Today Turkey is the only country that has gained the trust of all parties in a war-torn Iraq where Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds have misgivings and suspicions over each other’s intentions. In Afghanistan, where NATO troops are fighting with a hardened Taliban to restore stability, only the Turkish division has earned the confidence of locals. Gordon acknowledged that fact during the interview, saying, “There are things only Turks can do in Afghanistan.”
For example, Hikmet Çetin, who served as NATO’s senior civilian representative in Afghanistan, the highest-level political representative of NATO in this country, where he served two consecutive terms in Kabul until 2006, told me on one occasion that he never wore a bulletproof vest while taking tours among the locals and enjoyed the support of Afghans wherever he went.
Moreover, the Turkish foreign minister rightly argues that a multifaceted and diversified Turkish foreign policy have pushed to the sidelines many traditional issues that have held our foreign policy captive for decades. Even though issues such as Cyprus and the Aegean conflicts still occupy a place on the agenda, today they are not considered as significant as they used to be. Turkey spends more time now on other issues, like trying to diffuse tension over low-enriched uranium and to allay concerns over a suspected nuclear arms program in Iran.
Ankara is devoting considerable resources to helping bring reconciliation in Iraq and to preserving the territorial integrity of the country. It has achieved a major breakthrough in the normalization of relations with arch-enemy Armenia. It is upgrading relations with a new Greek government, and most issues over the Aegean have been pushed to the backburner. Relations with Russia are almost problem free despite the setback during the Georgian offensive last year.
Against this background, it is much more understandable why Gordon responded by saying, “I can’t really say,” when asked to prioritize issues on the agenda for an upcoming meeting between Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and US President Barack Obama in Washington early next month. He said almost all issues are of equal importance, adding that he could have easily pointed out one issue to the same question just a couple of years ago.
I believe Davutoğlu is really changing the parameters of Turkish foreign policy, but for the better of all parties involved.
