A LONG TO-DO LIST AWAITS DIPLOMACY’S NEW CHIEF
Hurriyet
May 4 2009
Turkey
ANKARA – With a Cabinet reshuffle whose new headline talent is
"Strategic Depth" with author Ahmet Davutoglu for foreign minister,
Prime Minister Erdogan signals a search for an expanded role for
Turkey in the wider region. Yet a long list of challenges awaits
Davutoglu abroad and at home.
Comfortable as a behind-the-scenes figure of Turkish foreign policy,
Ahmet Davutoglu will surely need some time to adapt to his new
position, which will require a lot of protocol, meeting with press
and handling practical problems his ministry faces.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s chief foreign policy adviser,
Professor Davutoglu, was appointed foreign minister late Friday as part
of a large Cabinet reshuffle. Despite pressure by Erdogan, Davutoglu
had always veered away from work in Parliament or the Cabinet as he
wanted to return to academia. Author of "Strategic Depth," Davutoglu
was known as the architect of Turkey’s current foreign policy, aiming
at making Turkey "a regional and global actor."
Davutoglu to both Gul and Erdogan When Abdullah Gul was elected
president in 2002, Davutoglu became the chief adviser of the Prime
Ministry. He has maintained his post during Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s
term, thus known for his close ties with both leaders.
He has represented Turkey in many international platforms and took
active roles during the European Union talks, Cyprus negotiations
and Iraq war. Davutoglu, who accompanied Gul on his historic visit to
Yerevan in September, was also in the forefront of a recent government
initiative to normalize relations with Armenia.
Davutoglu came under the spotlight after his secret meeting with
Hamas leader Halid MeÅ~_al in the winter of 2006. Since then he has
gained a reputation for being the upper hand in shaping Turkey’s
foreign policy, and is often depicted as the "Shadow Man" or the
"Kissenger of Turkish diplomacy" by experts.
"Turkey is no longer a country that only reacts to crises, but
notices the crises before they emerge and intervenes in the crises
effectively and gives shape to the order of its surrounding region,"
Davutoglu told reporters Saturday during the handover ceremony.
With a stronger foreign policy vision toward the Middle East, Balkans
and Caucasus, Turkey will surely expand its role in this mentioned
geography, he said.
He underlined that the country’s fundamental foreign policy principle
of Western orientation will remain the same and that Turkey will
continue its efforts to become a part of the EU.
His appointment has also been welcomed by many diplomats of the
Foreign Ministry. "His appointment is a good one. He has a strategic
view and is a theoretician.
He knows the presidency, prime ministry and foreign ministry very well
and he has direct access to all," a senior Turkish diplomat told the
Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review over the weekend. "But there
will also be duties he will not like very much, such as appointments
in the ministry and responsibilities concerning the protocol."
The diplomat pointed out that Davutoglu will need to first deal with
the domestic problems of the ministry, inherited by his predecessor,
to be able to deal with the heavy load of the foreign policy.
Appointments to the critical positions and embassies stand at the top
of his to-do list. As the tenures of Gurcan Turkoglu, the president’s
foreign policy adviser, and Ali Yakıtal, the prime minister’s
adviser are expiring, Davutoglu should consider who to appoint to
these important seats. Furthermore, there are three important general
directories, namely Africa and the Caucasus desks and the intelligence
and security desk, in the ministry that await an appointment. As
part of appointments, Davutoglu will have to find suitable names to
appoint as ambassadors to Oman, Estonia and Switzerland.
That is to be coupled with a new general-secretary for the EU as Oguz
Demiralp has also concluded his term.