Mercan, who is a senior member of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), made this statement while visiting Israel as a guest of the Shalem Center's Adelson Institute for Strategic Studies, headed by Israeli State Minister Natan Sharansky. He also said Turkey believes the entire region should be free of nuclear weapons. When asked whether Israel should also be free of nuclear weapons, he replied: "I wish Israel would not feel threatened; then it, too, could disarm from nuclear weapons."For Mercan, Israel is not the only country that feels threatened by Iran's nuclear plans because Iran is also a threat to Turkey. Naturally, one is inclined to ask what the recent projects Turkey has undertaken in cooperation with Iran mean. If Turkey perceives Iran as a threat, why did it sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Iran last month for the development of natural gas reserves to the south of Iran? Mercan gave an interesting answer to this question: "Because a memorandum of understanding does not mean that anything has actually been done. In general, Turkey will not deviate from any policy that is accepted by the United Nations Security Council with regard to Iran."
We are living in a country of really weird things. Since the beginning, Turkey has reiterated that it has no intention of allowing its territory to be used in any attack against Iran. One of the basic parameters of the foreign policy pursued by the AK Party government is "zero disputes and close cooperation with neighbors." It is obvious that the country has made great progress in achieving these targets. Moreover, Turkey takes care to reinforce its prestige in the eyes of Western countries by emphasizing its weight on its neighbors and Muslim countries. For instance, a few weeks ago Turkey declared that it might act as a mediator between Iran and the US.
What could be more natural than Turkey improving its trade with its neighbors? The fact that its economy has been integrated with the global system and that about 70 percent of its exports are to European countries is not a big advantage, contrary to what is commonly thought. It is actually a disadvantage, as the recent global economic crisis has clearly shown. If Turkey can rearrange its commercial and economic relations with its nearby neighbors, it may find a big market awaiting it. The economic crisis has shown that regional integration is a smarter strategy than uncontrolled globalization. Turkey should not disturb its relations with Iran just because the US and Israel are not at peace with Tehran. US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who will keep his office in Barack Obama's administration, says any attack on Iran would end in disaster. Why should Turkey be more imperialist than the emperor? The European countries do not act in this way. Germany and Switzerland have made comprehensive trade agreements with Iran.
There is another important point in Mercan's statement that should be emphasized. "Yes, any attack on civilians is terror," he said, with regard to the attacks on the city of Sderot from the Gaza Strip. "I visited Sderot, and I saw how its residents were being attacked, but I also know the tragedy and sorrow in Gaza well. I advise Hamas to stop attacking civilians and propose that Israel stop imposing sanctions on Gaza," he said.
What fair advice he is giving! On one hand, there is a country that invaded and continues to invade the land and denies international rights and legal norms to that land's inhabitants and, on the other hand, there are oppressed people striving to survive in the small piece of land left to them. A century ago, Turkey owned these lands, but now, as an irony of fate, an indifferent politician talking on behalf of Turkey is uttering words about this place as if he were a third person.
