Gov't initiatives the talk of the town among diplomatic community in Ankara

Yet, in the last few weeks, one thing was atypical about those conversations; rather than sharing their information on certain issues, they were this time sharing their curiosity about the eventual fate of certain issues and processes.

Those issues are the government's recent initiative on the resolution of the Kurdish issue, and Armenia and Turkey's declaration of their desire for normalization of bilateral ties through parliamentary approval of two protocols following an internal debate. On both issues, the government and the main opposition parties, the Republican People's Party (CHP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), have been engaged in a fierce battle while the government has been seeking public consensus.

Numerous states and international organizations, meanwhile, have already lent their support via written statements on the Armenian issue. While apparently taking into consideration the fact that the Kurdish issue has been considered an internal matter for Ankara, they have lent their support to this process via individual remarks from their politicians.

For foreign diplomats based in Ankara, it seems more complicated than it is for their capital cities and headquarters, as they can feel the anxiety in the capital in the literal sense. Still, remarks by some of them, with whom Sunday's Zaman had the chance to have background conversations on these issues, indicate that they are both calmer and more hopeful when compared to the anxiety experienced on the public stage of the country.

‘Democracy is messy’

A senior EU diplomat based in Ankara, speaking with Sunday's Zaman on condition of anonymity, described the government's initiatives on both the Armenian and Kurdish issues as the “most important issues at this moment.”

“I think the fact that the government decided to face it in a positive way is important. Another important point is once the Armenian issue is faced in this way, it will get positive results. There will be a positive reaction in Europe and the United States, so this can be seen in favor of Turkey. The Kurdish issue is a delicate issue, and it is also important that the government decided to face it. The negative side is that if the government cannot approach it successfully, there will be negative repercussions. It is important to go on and get some positive results. Making progress regarding the Armenian issue is actually easier,” the EU diplomat said.

When reminded of the opposition parties' unsupportive approaches, the same diplomat said: “As far as it is understood there is no clear explanation on what the government wants. It is important to know better, of course, what the Kurdish issue consists of. For the Armenian issue, it is clearer since there are protocols; yet the Kurdish issue is less clear. I think the fact that it has been launched is positive and important in itself, but some clarifications would be better.”

 After noting his country's support of the Turkish government on these issues, an Ankara-based Western diplomat first of all highlighted the importance of dialogue on both the Armenian and Kurdish issues.

“We want to see dialogue in both the Armenian and Kurdish issues because that's what democracy tells us to do -- maintaining dialogue. Regarding the Kurdish issue, it is a matter of closing a sad chapter and it will not be easy but it will be great, like in the Northern Ireland case,” the Western diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Sunday's Zaman, in an apparent analogy between the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in Northern Ireland.

 When asked whether he had any concerns vis-à-vis the upcoming course of affairs on both of the initiatives, the Western diplomat replied that “concerns are all positive and supportive.”

 The same diplomat also noted that he had no particular concerns on the opposition's stance, either. “Democracy is messy, like some wise men say. The opening of this kind of public tradeoff is normal and is part of the process. The government is, meanwhile, trying to hear and handle these statements.”

Delivery time

Both of these issues are high on the agenda of the diplomatic community because there have been many talks to date, and now it is somehow time to deliver, another EU diplomat based in the Turkish capital told Sunday's Zaman.

 “These kinds of processes take time, but sometimes you have to take certain steps which will give new life and positive momentum to the ongoing process. This is what Europeans hope to see. That's why they see the Armenian roadmap movement and dynamics concerning Armenia as developments which make them hopeful,” the same EU diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said.

 “As for the process with the Kurds, that's the same -- there have been nonsense years of confrontation. Now the government is approaching stakeholders, the opposition, neighbors; all of this is seen as signs of hope and optimism on a vital issue. Hope of a solution first of all shows to a European observer that Turkish foreign policy is an active one, exerting efforts to decrease tensions and taking constructive steps to create stability. This is definitely something positive for a country which aspires to become a member of the EU. Having in mind that one day Turkey will be a member, it's very good that Turkey will have solved the issues with neighboring countries by that time; that's why EU figures are both excited and nervous,” the diplomat said.

He also said he believed if similar initiatives had been launched in a European country, it is likely that the opposition parties would try to publicly support these initiatives, unlike what has been happening in Turkey.

“The reluctance of the opposition to join in would at least not be seen as a very constructive approach. These are important projects, and just saying, ‘We don't like it' might not be good. Even the military is going along with this initiative, although maybe cautiously. There might be good reason to give a chance to maintaining national consensus in order to give a strong message to the world.”

An irreversible process

Both the Armenian and Kurdish issues are, of course, the talk of the town and a primary concern for every diplomat, a senior Middle Eastern diplomat told Sunday's Zaman, underlining the Kurdish initiative's significance as a major change in internal policy. According to him, it's a huge development regardless of what will happen in the end.

The same diplomat said foreign diplomats have also been following the developments carefully because they are trying to estimate the implications of these initiatives in the region.

“I believe there will be a huge external implication related to Syria and Iraq as well as Turkey's position regarding international terrorism. We hope it will succeed, and that depends on a lot factors. It seems as though the process is still ongoing, but details of this process aren't clear,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “But the fact that the government has taken such a huge step and decided to address such a big issue is very important for the development of Turkey.”

The same diplomat avoided commenting on the opposition's approach as he said it's an internal matter for Turkey while stressing that he was confident that any breakthrough in Turkey's relations with Armenia will be welcomed in the Middle East region.

“The main fact of addressing these issues and starting a momentum is 50 percent of resolving the issue. Not ignoring or bypassing these chronic issues is a very courageous step,” he said.

Focusing on the Kurdish issue, the diplomat added: “The details differ from one group to another, but my understanding is that it is an ongoing development. We might witness unforeseen developments, either positive or negative because there is no roadmap on the Kurdish issue. The government is apparently in the process of making a roadmap. The problem is a complicated one and it is not possible to expect its resolution within a few months. Yet, as a diplomat, I believe an irreversible process has started.”