Davutoğlu’s vision for 2023: no terror, no human rights violations

Speaking at a press conference in Ankara on the last day of 2009, Davutoğlu made a comprehensive review and evaluation of Turkey’s multidimensional foreign policy moves during the past year. The minister also focused on the government’s vision for the future’s Turkey, since there are less than two decades left until the 100th anniversary of the Turkish Republic in 2023.

Explaining the course of affairs in regards to Turkey’s relations with its neighbors, the European Union, the United States, the Gulf countries and the Middle East as well as its activities in various international bodies and its outreach to Latin America and the Caribbean region, Davutoğlu added: “All of those foreign policy activities are dedicated to carry out the vision we have in mind for Turkey: A Turkey which is a full member of the EU, living in full peace with its neighbors, active in neighboring basins and among the top 10 economies in the world. A Turkey which is the address for solutions and which carries out regional visions. A Turkey which is among the top 10 most effective countries in the world in regards to economy, politics and culture.”

Underlining that Foreign Ministry staff has been working “day and night to make this vision of Turkey in 2023” happen, Davutoğlu noted that they have been planning to equip the ministry with more logistics opportunities and strengthen it in regards to human resources.

“Terror is at the top of the list of things which do not exist” in the vision drawn up for the future Turkey,” Davutoğlu said when asked about efforts for maintaining other countries’ support in eliminating activities of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has bases in northern Iraq and is listed as a terrorist organization by a large majority of the international community including the EU and US.

The minister put an emphasis on the importance of having “political legitimacy” more than once, while he explained his vision of Turkey in the future.

“Human rights violations are also atop the lift of things which do not exist,” in the vision drawn up for Turkey’s future, Davutoğlu continued. Such a vision can become real in a Turkey “where all citizens, whichever [ethnic] origin they are from, live in peace; where there is no terror threat; where its young people make plans for the future without feeling the need to calculate certain risks; where the ties of citizenship and feelings of belonging are strengthened for all of our citizens,” he said.

The elimination of terrorist threats is a fundamental goal for all governmental and state bodies, Davutoğlu said, as he underlined that Turkey no longer has “the luxury of carrying the terror burden.”

Referring to the democratization initiative launched by the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government during the summer that seeks to settle Turkey’s decades-long Kurdish problem by expanding the democratic rights of its Kurdish citizens, Davutoğlu said the initiative “aimed at expanding democratic freedoms in line with universal norms, thus preventing terrorism from exploiting this field.”

Recalling Turkey’s achievement in reaching an agreement with its neighbors on joint counterterrorism efforts, Davutoğlu said Turkey had an agreement on the issue with Europe as well. He, however, reiterated Turkey’s expectation of more support from European countries for drying out financial and logistical support lent to the terrorist organization through organizations in those countries.

“Within the country, the struggle against terror will continue effectively. This will be done without narrowing the democratic zone. The more the democratic zone grows, the narrower the zone of terror will become. Turkey’s future is based on political legitimacy. Freedom and security should not be pitted against each other. Freedom and security are precious only when they are maintained together. Sacrificing one of them for the sake of the other will lead to a narrowing of the zone of legitimacy,” Davutoğlu said, voicing the government’s determination for providing the widest zone of freedoms to its citizens, while also minimizing security risks.

When asked about the greatest potential global crises that he envisions will keep his ministry busy in 2010, Davutoğlu rejected making such a classification or playing a guessing game.

“Our understanding is based on focusing on completing whatever we consider lacking for reaching the Turkey of our vision,” he said, referring to the fact that Turkey’s current foreign policy is not crisis-oriented, but was rather a vision-oriented one.

As usual, the foreign minister, a professor of political science and international relations who was the prime minister’s chief foreign policy adviser from 2002 until he was appointed to his current post in May, resorted to a metaphor.

“We have a very nice picture in our mind of the region’s future,” Davutoğlu said, adding that they have currently been planning which tone of colors, motifs and patterns to use in making this happen. Ruling out any place for a bad outcome, he said, “There will emerge either a good picture or a kilim ornamented with Turkish patterns.”