TURKISH SENIOR ADVISER VIEWS TIES WITH IRAN, MINISTER’S ARMENIA VISIT
Yeni Safak (in Turkish), Turkey
Dec 15 2013
In a 3,100-word interview with Nil Gulsum, Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan’s Chief Political Adviser and founder and Director
of the Foundation for Research on Politics, Economics, and Society,
explains the various arguments advanced in his recently published book
“Reason and Virtue” and comments on Turkey’s foreign policy goals
and expectations on specific issues.
Following general comments on the book and the possibility of
establishing “a balance between roots and horizons,” Kalin comments
on “modernization” and “Westernization.” He says: “Today, we define
modernization only as Westernization. Meeting the basic infrastructure
needs of a society, ensuring economic development and prosperity and
a fair distribution of wealth, and building a culture of democratic
participation are not goals that can be achieved only through
Westernization. When we look around, we see different experiences of
modernization. For this reason, when I say ‘we must be ourselves,’
I do not mean turning away from the world or taking a ‘pro-Third-Word’
approach. On the contrary, I mean understanding the world correctly.
If we can establish this balance properly, we can bring our rich
heritage of civilization to modern times and contribute to global
culture and civilization. The Islamic world has the potential to
accomplish this. Turkey is one of the best examples of this. Today,
Turkey has a perspective that can see the entire world as its friend.
It has a foreign policy posture that can take a 360-degree view of
the world. Today, Turkey is able to view events more globally and
in their historical depth. This has provided a tremendous expansion
of horizons.”
Continuing this discussion, Kalin says: “For a long time, we were
alienated from our own history. We viewed our history and landscape as
a burden. We distanced ourselves from our own cultural codes. However,
globalization has shown that there is no hierarchy of cultures. Today,
we are rebuilding the balance between the local and the global.”
Following a discussion of Turkish authors who have written about
these issues, Kalin praises the accomplishments of the current Turkish
government and says that these accomplishments have “spread the gains
of the republic to all social groups.” He adds: “The unique conditions
of the 1920’s and 1930’s may have allowed [the Turkish Republic] to
take certain steps. It was necessary to build a new structure for a
nation that was going through the trauma of losing an empire. Although
we understand the conditions of that time, it is of course impossible
to move along the same direction.”
In response to a question about “where exactly Turkey stands in
its foreign policy,” Kalin says: “The most fundamental principle
of Turkey’s foreign policy is viewing the region and the world from
Turkey’s perspective. In the past 11 years, Turkey has pursued a policy
of developing good relations with our neighbours, regional countries,
as well as global actors. Turkey’s first priority is to develop good
relations with our neighbours and international actors.
Obviously, the possibility of seeing the conditions mandated by
realpolitik and taking steps accordingly cannot be ignored. Turkey
wants to ensure balance in realpolitik on the basis of principles
such as fairness, the sanctity of human life, and morality. We
may sometimes have agreements and sometimes differences with other
countries on different issues. For example, we can have differences
with a country over Syria but we can reach accords with the same
country on energy policies, Palestine, or security issues.”
Asked about the current status of Turkey’s relationship with Iran,
Kalin replies: “Iran has opened a new page in its relations with
Western countries by resuming negotiations with them on its nuclear
programme. This is something Turkey supports. Recall that only two
to three years ago some people removed Turkey from the Western axis
because of our relations with Iran and even alleged that we were being
pro-Iranian. Now, these same circles are saying that relations with
Iran are very important. Turkey has not changed its position. A new
page may have opened on Iran for the Western countries but that page
was always open for us.”
Commenting on Turkey’s relations with Iran as they relate to Syria,
Kalin says: “We always believed that regional problems can be solved
through the dynamics of the countries of the region. This is why we
have treated regional countries as partners in the handling of these
problems. This applies to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, pre-civil-war Syria,
Iran, Iraq, and other regional states. Our entire goal is to mobilize
regional dynamics with a positive agenda.”
Asked to comment on the “synergies” that may generated by “an expanded
relationship between Turkey and Iran in the aftermath of the nuclear
talks,” Kalin says there were many contacts between senior Turkish
and Iranian officials recently. He continues: “Our Foreign Minister
was in Iran recently. His talks were very positive. The discussions
focused on the success of Geneva II, the establishment of a ceasefire
in Syria, and the delivery of humanitarian aid [to Syria]. This does
not mean that Turkey and Iran have changed their diplomatic positions.
Indeed, this is within the means and nature of diplomacy. Furthermore,
the position Iran has assumed in the nuclear talks does not refute
our position in 2010; on the contrary it affirms and supports it.”
Responding to a question on Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s
recent visit to Armenia, Kalin says: “As you know, there was a
meeting between [Azerbaijani President Ilham] Aliyev and [Armenian
President Serzh] Sargsian. From the outset, we insisted that problems
[between Azerbaijan and Armenian], chiefly the Karabakh problem, must
be solved by diplomatic means. Although important responsibilities
were incumbent on the Minsk Group in this regard, this group has,
unfortunately, failed to produce a solution in 20 years. Our Prime
Minister most recently discussed this issue with Russian President
Putin in Saint Petersburg. This problem can be solved by peaceful
means. However, the most important step to unblock this process is
Armenia’s withdrawal from the areas it has occupied. The visit our
Foreign Minister paid to Armenia within the framework of the Black Sea
Cooperation organization is a concrete expression of the importance
we attach to peace and stability in the Caucasus and the Black Sea.
Asked to comment on the recent execution of Abdul Quader Molla in
Bangldadesh, Kalin says: “That was a dismaying situation. The execution
was carried out despite all efforts to stop it. Bangladesh needs social
peace and conciliation, not divisions and animosity. I hope that they
will act more responsibly and with cooler heads in the future.”
[Translated from Turkish]