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OPPOSITION PARTY SLAMS GOVERNMENT'S FOREIGN POLICY AS 'UNPRINCIPLED'
Hurriyet
July 22 2011
Turkey
The Turkish government's foreign policy lacks principles and
isolates the country in the international arena, according to the
main opposition, which also criticized attempts to make Turkey a
global actor at the expense of domestic concerns.
"The government [often] watches how other counties act on specific
international issues and follows their lead while often changing
side at any moment," Osman Koruturk, deputy leader of the Republican
People's Party, or CHP, told a group of reporters Friday at a breakfast
at the party headquarters.
The goal of making Turkey a global actor is "wrong and inadequate,"
Koruturk said.
"You cannot go onto the international field with the claim of being
a global actor. We must solve the problems at home first," he said,
accusing the government of steering according to the direction of
the wind. With such policies, Turkey cannot be an actor but merely
a figurehead, he added.
The CHP official chastised Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
for his frequent telephone conversations with U.S. President Barack
Obama, saying foreign policy was being pursued upon instructions from
the U.S. leader.
EU relations and Cyprus
On Turkish-European Union relations, Koruturk said what was important
was not to establish an EU Ministry but establish the role of that
ministry.
Koruturk also criticized Erdogan's threat to suspend ties with the
EU if a divided Cyprus assumed the bloc's presidency next year. "It
is as if the government is using this as a pretext to burn bridges
with the EU."
But he backed Erdogan's support for a solution on Cyprus based on
the sides' equality, saying, "The CHP will be a serious follower
of this issue and will of course support a solution that meets the
expectations of the Turkish Cypriots."
Regional relations and the US
Koruturk further rebuked the government for its closure of its
embassy in Tripoli due to security concerns and said the Turkish
government had left Turkish interests in Libya unprotected. Referring
to a recent contact group meeting about Libya co-chaired by Turkey,
the CHP official took issue with Turkey's approval of NATO operations
that are expected to continue during Ramadan.
He also expected clarification from the government as to whether
the great powers had plans to establish a belt of "moderate Islam"
in the Middle East and North Africa with the appearance of the
Muslim Brotherhood as a political movement in countries like Egypt
and elsewhere.
The CHP deputy leader also took aim at the government's initiative
to normalize relations with neighboring Armenia, claiming that no
progress had been made; moreover, due to mistakes, Azerbaijan had
been left alone on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue even as relations with
Armenia had worsened, he said.
Koruturk said the recent cancellation of the Mavi Marmara's second
trip to break Israel's Gaza blockade - following an ill-fated attempt
to do so last year during which Israeli commandos killed nine Turkish
aid activists - indicated that the government could have prevented
the first vessel's voyage, thus saving lives.
In the past, Turkey was a serious mediator in Israel's relations
with the Arab countries, he said, but added that that was no longer
the case.
The CHP official claimed that the government's relationship with the
United States was not a healthy one; first, the partnership should
be cleansed of adjectives like "model" or "strategic."
The main opposition is not against establishing relations with
the U.S., Koruturk said, but added that the relationship should be
based on three major elements, including equality, mutual respect
and observing one another's interests.
Koruturk also said the U.S. was not doing enough in Turkey's fight
against members of the outlawed Kurdistan Worker's Party, or PKK,
based on northern Iraq's Kandil Mountain and added that the party had
sought U.S. support during a meeting between the party leader and U.S.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last weekend.
Hurriyet
July 22 2011
Turkey
The Turkish government's foreign policy lacks principles and
isolates the country in the international arena, according to the
main opposition, which also criticized attempts to make Turkey a
global actor at the expense of domestic concerns.
"The government [often] watches how other counties act on specific
international issues and follows their lead while often changing
side at any moment," Osman Koruturk, deputy leader of the Republican
People's Party, or CHP, told a group of reporters Friday at a breakfast
at the party headquarters.
The goal of making Turkey a global actor is "wrong and inadequate,"
Koruturk said.
"You cannot go onto the international field with the claim of being
a global actor. We must solve the problems at home first," he said,
accusing the government of steering according to the direction of
the wind. With such policies, Turkey cannot be an actor but merely
a figurehead, he added.
The CHP official chastised Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
for his frequent telephone conversations with U.S. President Barack
Obama, saying foreign policy was being pursued upon instructions from
the U.S. leader.
EU relations and Cyprus
On Turkish-European Union relations, Koruturk said what was important
was not to establish an EU Ministry but establish the role of that
ministry.
Koruturk also criticized Erdogan's threat to suspend ties with the
EU if a divided Cyprus assumed the bloc's presidency next year. "It
is as if the government is using this as a pretext to burn bridges
with the EU."
But he backed Erdogan's support for a solution on Cyprus based on
the sides' equality, saying, "The CHP will be a serious follower
of this issue and will of course support a solution that meets the
expectations of the Turkish Cypriots."
Regional relations and the US
Koruturk further rebuked the government for its closure of its
embassy in Tripoli due to security concerns and said the Turkish
government had left Turkish interests in Libya unprotected. Referring
to a recent contact group meeting about Libya co-chaired by Turkey,
the CHP official took issue with Turkey's approval of NATO operations
that are expected to continue during Ramadan.
He also expected clarification from the government as to whether
the great powers had plans to establish a belt of "moderate Islam"
in the Middle East and North Africa with the appearance of the
Muslim Brotherhood as a political movement in countries like Egypt
and elsewhere.
The CHP deputy leader also took aim at the government's initiative
to normalize relations with neighboring Armenia, claiming that no
progress had been made; moreover, due to mistakes, Azerbaijan had
been left alone on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue even as relations with
Armenia had worsened, he said.
Koruturk said the recent cancellation of the Mavi Marmara's second
trip to break Israel's Gaza blockade - following an ill-fated attempt
to do so last year during which Israeli commandos killed nine Turkish
aid activists - indicated that the government could have prevented
the first vessel's voyage, thus saving lives.
In the past, Turkey was a serious mediator in Israel's relations
with the Arab countries, he said, but added that that was no longer
the case.
The CHP official claimed that the government's relationship with the
United States was not a healthy one; first, the partnership should
be cleansed of adjectives like "model" or "strategic."
The main opposition is not against establishing relations with
the U.S., Koruturk said, but added that the relationship should be
based on three major elements, including equality, mutual respect
and observing one another's interests.
Koruturk also said the U.S. was not doing enough in Turkey's fight
against members of the outlawed Kurdistan Worker's Party, or PKK,
based on northern Iraq's Kandil Mountain and added that the party had
sought U.S. support during a meeting between the party leader and U.S.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last weekend.