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Armitage: Turkey knows exactly what it’s doing with Iran
“There are a lot of questions on Iran, and some are to do with whether Turkey can be a friend of the United States and Iran at the same time, and my answer is yes,” Ambassador Richard L. Armitage said on Monday in Ankara at a joint press conference with the current chairperson of the American-Turkish Council (ATC), Brent Scowcroft, and retired Ambassador James Holmes, the CEO of the organization.
Scowcroft, who will be succeeded by Armitage in January, said he was in Ankara to present his successor to the local scene. The ATC is a business association dedicated to enhancing the promotion of US-Turkish commercial, defense, technology and cultural relations.
The ATC delegation had talks with Defense Minister Vecdi Gönül and Energy Minister Taner Yıldız on Monday. They also met with President Abdullah Gül, Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu on Tuesday.
Remarks on Iran by Armitage, a former deputy secretary of state, came in response to a question at the press conference ahead of their meetings in the Turkish capital. “You don’t like all the friends that the United States has, and we may have some questions about some friends that Turkey has. That’s normal business. I think Turkey knows exactly what she is doing with Iran,” Armitage said, adding that he doesn’t view the issue as a problem.
Turkey, which has very close political and trade relations with Iran, has said in the past it is willing to mediate between Iran and the West over Iran’s nuclear program. During a visit to Tehran last month, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan defended Iran’s nuclear program as peaceful, adding to Western concerns that Turkey might be forsaking its alliance with the West to pursue a leadership role in its neighborhood.
Scowcroft said Iran’s possession of nuclear power would not help regional stability, adding: “It is in the interest of the region and the United States to have Iran a productive member of the region. We’re not trying to destroy Iran; we are trying to integrate Iran as a productive member of the region. And this is another case we and your government have in common interest. Maybe different tactics, but common interest.”
Armitage, meanwhile, likened Iran’s approach during ongoing negotiations over its nuclear program to legendary Muhammad Ali’s boxing tactic known as “rope-a-dope.” “Iran is doing the rope-a-dope with us. I think they are trying to buy time to the step that it continues; then there will be more anxiety,” he said, yet, adding that he still believed that diplomacy can serve to resolve the Iranian question.
Armitage downplayed the tension in bilateral relations between Israel and Turkey, calling it “a temporary dislocation,” and highlighting, instead, Turkey’s regional role.
“It’s a temporary dislocation in the relationship, it’s distressing to us, but I think the fact that Turkey is playing a more notable role in the Middle East is a heartening thing for all of us. I think ultimately it will be good for the United States as well. I think it might have a calming effect on the Middle East in general. These dislocations are temporary, and we shouldn’t be distracted too much by them.”
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