Turkey's ex-coordinator says Turkey may bring Afghanistan, Pakistan together

Ex-coordinator Aydemir Erman said Turkey might be one of the few countries that could bring Afghanistan and Pakistan together to sort out their differences.

Erman wrote a commentary/opinion in the Christian Science Monitor newspaper in the United States.

"As a historically trusted friend of the Afghan people, Turkey, alone among members of the NATO alliance, has a 'soft power' ingredient in its arsenal that is key to winning the hearts and minds of the population," Erman wrote in the commentary.

Erman referred to Afghanistan saying that 'no Afghan was ever killed by a Turkish bullet' and 'no Afghan trained by Turks has ever betrayed his country', and talked about Turkey's contributions to Afghanistan throughout history and good relations between the two countries.

Turkey never displayed any imperial overtones as it embraced the young Afghan nation, and treated Afghanistan as an absolute equal, Erman said.

Erman said Turkey never had a special agenda but had relations with all elements of the Afghan nation.

"Our presence in Afghanistan, both military and civilian, has been based on treating people with respect and as equals, not with paternalism or the imperial arrogance of an occupying power," Erman said.

Also, Erman said, "the Turkish lesson in Afghanistan is clear: Winning hearts and minds requires better understanding and respect for local values. Handing out cans of soda with colonial airs won't yield tangible results."

"For many of these same reasons – our historical relationships in the region and deep understanding of local values and cultures – Turkey may be one of the few countries, if not the only country, that can bring Afghanistan and Pakistan together to sort out their differences," Erman said.

Erman said Afghan President Hamid Karzai made a point at the London Conference of stressing Turkey's mediating role, following upon the "trilateral" Turkey-Afghanistan-Pakistan meeting he had earlier attended in January in Istanbul with Pakistani President Asif Zardari.

"Unfortunately, India's absence so far in this process has weakened the Turkish initiative. It is critical to get them on board because the Afghan problem cannot be solved unless India and Pakistan come to terms over their interests in Afghanistan," Erman said.

Erman said the international community in general, and the allies in particular, should lend their support to Turkey.

Turkey's NATO membership and historical soft-power capacity could make a critical difference in Afghanistan, he said.

Erman said those who knew and were trusted historically by the Afghan people could show the way for those who truly wanted to help the Afghans stood on their own feet.

"If NATO sticks to a clear mandate within a defined time frame for withdrawal and the international community allocates sufficient resources, Afghanistan can be brought back into the fold of the international community," Erman said.

Erman also said Turkey helped them join the world when Afghanistan was a young nation, and it could do so again.

Aydemir Erman was Turkey's special coordinator for Afghanistan from 1991 to 2003 and remained involved as an adviser in Afghanistan until his retirement from the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2009.