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“Nobody can commission us, we just play our historical role”

Prof. Ahmet Davutoglu, the chief foreign policy advisor of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan was in Washington on the eve of US President Barack Obama’s visit to Turkey, seeing top White House officials. At a press conference in Washington Davutoglu said that there has been differences of opinion between Ankara and the previous US administration, but with the new Obama team he has found out that foreign policy objectives of the two allies are now completely coinciding. Responding to arguments back in Turkey that Obama’s demands from the Turkish government during the Ankara talks might put Turkey in a difficult position, Davutoglu said, “Nobody can commission us, we are just playing our historical role.” Davutoglu met with James L. Jones, the National Security Advisor of President Obama, George Mitchell, the special US envoy to the Middle East and other officials. “During the term of the previous president Bush we had differences of opinion with the US. Syria was an example. Now with the Obama administration’s approach we see that Turkey’s policies are almost on parallel lines. Turkey’s foreign policy activities in the Middle East, Caucasus and Afghanistan are appreciated here,” said Davutoglu. He also pointed out that former US president Bill Clinton visited Turkey on the seventh year of his presidency and George Bush came to Istanbul during his fourth year in the office. “President Obama will pay his second bilateral visit to Turkey after his first to Canada. This shows the importance that US gives to Turkey. President Obama’s decision to visit Turkey is the sign of the beginning of a historical period in constructive cooperation in the relations of our two countries,” said Davutoglu. “Everybody now sees that Turkey’s strategic importance has increased greatly,” he added. Davutoglu said that work is underway on a scenario in the interests of […]

Obama’s visit raises opposing views among Turkish opinion makers

aNiyazi Dalyanci “President Barack Obama’s visit to Turkey underlines the importance the new US administration attributes to Turkey as a ‘pivotal’ nation in the region that might undertake more crucial functions beyond and above simply acting as a mediator,” wrote Cengiz Candar, veteran foreign affairs commentator of mainstream daily Radikal. “Why is he coming? Surely, he is coming not to give but to take,” with these words Onur Oymen, the vice-chairman of the main opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP) expressed his interpretation of the presidential visit. As expected, the new US President Obama’s visit to Turkey, scheduled for the beginning of April, gave politicians and journalists the opportunity to express sometimes diametrically opposing feelings. However, both those who view the visit with some apprehension and those who claim that Obama’s choice of Ankara as the destination of his second trip outside America shows how Turkey’s strategic importance has increased in the eyes of the US administration, agree on the topics that would be discussed during the talks. “It is obvious what he would want. He is giving priority to Afghanistan. While he is shifting his forces from Iraq to this country, he is going to ask for combat units (to serve in Afghanistan) from Turkey. Another topic is the opening of the border with Armenia. He would demand the solution of the Cyprus problem in a satisfactory manner for the Greek Cypriots. Also the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq via Turkish territory will also be on the agenda. There is no chance for the government to say ‘No’ to any of these demands,” said Oymen. Oymen also claimed that Obama will use the Armenian genocide bill in the Congress as a lever to apply pressure on the Turkish government. Leading Turkish journalist Mehmet Ali Birand agrees on the possible […]