POMED Notes: Turkey’s Foreign Objective in a Changing World

On Thursday, the Center for Strategic and International Studies hosted Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey Ahmet Davutoğlu discussing “Turkey’s Foreign Policy Objectives in a Changing World.” The event was moderated by John Hamare.

For more on this event, continue reading below, or click here for the PDF

Foreign Minister Davutoğlu began his address explaining the “process view” of Turkish foreign policy. The “process view” takes into consideration the context of the whole situation: “Where we are coming from?  Where we are now?  And, where we are going? ”  Davutoğlu declared the necessity of the view of all nations, especially forTurkey, to understand the economic and political complications that have risen over 20 years.

Davutoğlu stated that three “earthquakes” ( “earthquakes” according to the Minister  are major events, political or economic, that shift the status quo) that have occurred in the past 20 years that have made the reactions of political and economic players “unpredictable.” The first “earthquake” cited was the fall of the Berlin Wall and the subsequent collapse of theSoviet Unionin 1991. The world, he said, saw a dramatic shift in geopolitical structures as a “New World” order evolves as “Caucasia andCentral Asia” embraced a wave of freedom and democratic ideals. The second “earthquake” happened on September 11, 2001 when the vulnerability of world super powers was revealed and consequently states made security a top priority. Davutoğlu argued that some states have sacrificed freedom for security, and stated that these actions were taken to the extreme “produce dictatorship.”

Davutoğlu said that Turkeyhas attempted to transform the psyche of the Turkish people using their foreign and domestic policy into a mind-set that accepts a balance of both freedom and security, something that regimes across the world are attempting to do today.  Davutoğlu stated that as the Turkish people have embraced these principles, the Turkish “no problems with neighbors” policy has taken a foothold in their culture and has shaped their outlook on foreign affairs. Turkeypolicy operates under the dogma that problematic relations with neighbors can be improved through diplomacy.  He stressed that the Turkey’s problem with Syria“is not the Syrian people” but with the Syrian Regime, who according to him “made a choice” to use violence and continued oppressing its people. He reiterated that Prime Minister Recep Tayyep Erdogan made “courageous” choice to renounce former Egyptian Presdident Hosni Mubarak along with former Tunisian President Sine El Abidine Ben Ali, but did so “acting according to principle” to affirm Turkish support to the  Arab people demands.

The final “earthquake” mentioned by the Minister was the global financial crisis and historical transformation that has overtaken the Arab. “Sitting in Ankara,” said Davutoğlu, “We look to the west and we see a zone of economic crisis” and in some cases democracy being replaced with technocracy. “There is a worry about E.U. collapse” and because of the E.U. aspirations of the Turkish people, the events in Europe are being watched “closely,” said Davutoğlu. “Looking to the east,” Turkey sees political turmoil and changes.  Davutoğlu asserted that from day one, when Bouazizi burned himself in protest, Turkey knew that it was not a national revolt but a revolution of change. He affirmedTurkey’s continuing support of the “demands of the Arab people” no matter their outcomes because of “the principle” of Turkish foreign policy.

Davutoğlu claimed that we are witnessing ongoing change that is overthrowing the “abnormal structures” of colonialism and Cold War divisions that separated Arab societies. These “abnormal structures” caused a rift between the Arab leaders and the people, Davutoğlu said . Turkey sees this as a “natural flow of history” and urges the international community to view these changes in the same way and do whatever is in their power to support the movements “according to history.” Moreover Davutoğlu stressed the need to refrain from seeing the turmoil as an emerging “Sunni-Shia” split or a new “Cold War.” Instead, said Davutoğlu countries need to recognize that though each country is unique to itself, the demands of the people are the same. Turkey thus will remain steadfast in the support of the people and will act accordingly against leaders that oppress their people. “No country is the property of one archaic ideology,” said Davutoğlu.

Davutoğlu acknowledged the success in North Africa, where within a year free elections were held and representative bodies were created and pledged Turkey’s continued support. He described the Levant as a “challenging neighborhood” and stated that Syria is the backbone of the region. “All steps of diplomacy have been taken” with Syria said Davutoğlu, referring to the implementation of bilateral talks, a regional initiative, and an international initiative—all of which have failed. Davutoğlu noted the failure of diplomacy and called for the creation of a new international body, one founded on values that would pursue “active, rational, diplomacy to solve issues through peaceful means.”

Davutoğlu was questioned about the effect the change in the Arab world would have in the way Turkey views the “Palestinian Question.” He responded saying that a new approach needs to be created, a new initiative, to final solve the conflict. Palestinian groups are taking steps to unite (agreement between Hamas and Fatah) and there is “clear indication that Hamas is adopting a peaceful method of resistance.” He also stated that the “response from Israel” had not been positive. “Settlements continue. Provocative statements continue. The “Two-State solution” is not being defended openly by all members of the Israeli government. It is time to decide [the future].” Davutoğlu stated that the “Russian veto was wrong…The American veto was wrong regarding the Palestinian state. He hoped that the global society is behind the recognition of the Palestinian state, and thatTurkey will continue to recognize the right of the Palestinian people “because they deserve to have it.” The “new regional circumstances” gives hope for the peace process andTurkey “hopes that all will understand the new logic” of the region.

Davutoğlu briefly discussed his visit to Iran, and stated that “Turkey does not want anyone to have any nuclear military power in the world, but does not want to limit the development of peaceful nuclear technology.” He said that if negotiators come together “with full mandate” the issue could be solved. He was suspect about the effect of sanctions, noting that Iran started to be more aggressive in production of uranium when sanctions were imposed. Davutoğlu condemned Iranian support ofSyria saying, “It is better to be on the right side of History than to lose in the future.”