Tweet
ZERO PROBLEMS POLICY WITH AZERBAIJAN
Hurriyet
Sept 11 2012
Turkey
In contrast to the Turkish and foreign opponents of the Justice
and Development Party (AKP), I believe Turkey is a regional power
with the potential to assume global roles. What makes me different
from AKP officials is the fact that while they use very ambitious
rhetoric based on the conviction that Turkey has already become a
global player capable of influencing the course of world events,
I use more realistic and thus more modest rhetoric.
Unfortunately, I have begun to believe that Turkey's potential to
play a global role is weakening each day. The biggest indicator of
this for me is the decreasing diversity of the issues dominating the
Turkish agenda.
Just a few years ago, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu
declared the region of Turkey's foreign policy activity to be the whole
globe. He said Turkey would be one of the wise countries that would
shape the new world order, and Turkish diplomats would be working like
firefighters and city planners in all four corners of the globe. Indeed
there was a time when Turkey was mediating between Serbs and Bosnians,
intervening to solve the government crisis in Lebanon, and trying to
bring the Syrians and Israelis to the table. Some African countries
were asking Turkey to be their spokesperson at the G20. I even recall
some remote African country asking for Turkish mediation in a border
dispute.
For the past six months, however, the entire Turkish agenda has
been highjacked by the Syrian crisis as well as the Kurdish problem,
which has been exacerbated by the rise in violence. These two issues
are consuming so much of our energy that let alone devoting time to
"city planning" in the far-away corners of the world we are struggling
to extinguish fires at home and on our borders.
With the exception of Myanmar, we have not paid much attention to
other important world issues. Energy policy, and the related Turkey-
Azerbaijan relationship, is among the areas that seems to me not
to have attracted the attention it deserves, despite the fact that
important developments have taken place.
The deal signed between Ankara and Baku last June in İzmir to build
the $7 billion Trans-Anatolian natural gas pipeline (TANAP) to carry
Azeri gas to European markets has proved to be a major turning point.
Ironically the biggest loser in Turkey's "zero problems with
neighbors" policy, which had peaked by the end of the 2000s, was
Azerbaijan, which felt betrayed by Turkey's reconciliation efforts with
Armenia. Relations at the bilateral level soured, while Baku proved
unwilling to solve problems with bilateral energy issues. After Turkey
made a U-turn in its reconciliation policy with Armenia, relations
warmed up again. Finally, with the June agreements, the two seem to be
on the same page as far as energy issues are concerned. In addition,
Azerbaijan's investments in Turkey are rising fast, making Baku a
potential candidate to become the number-one foreign investor in
Turkey in the short term.
Relations with Baku are now so valuable to Turkey that the government
remained silent when Baku shamelessly pardoned and even promoted an
Azerbaijani soldier who had murdered an Armenian in Hungary, which
returned him to Baku.
Azerbaijan, on the other hand, remains adamant about turning down
Turkey's request to abolish visa requirements. Even the famous charisma
of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who will be in Azerbaijan
this week, might not work with İlham Aliyev, who has never been
particularly fond of the Turkish prime minister.
Still, those who want to be fair to Davutoglu could always argue that
at least relations with Baku are back on track.
September/11/2012
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Hurriyet
Sept 11 2012
Turkey
In contrast to the Turkish and foreign opponents of the Justice
and Development Party (AKP), I believe Turkey is a regional power
with the potential to assume global roles. What makes me different
from AKP officials is the fact that while they use very ambitious
rhetoric based on the conviction that Turkey has already become a
global player capable of influencing the course of world events,
I use more realistic and thus more modest rhetoric.
Unfortunately, I have begun to believe that Turkey's potential to
play a global role is weakening each day. The biggest indicator of
this for me is the decreasing diversity of the issues dominating the
Turkish agenda.
Just a few years ago, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu
declared the region of Turkey's foreign policy activity to be the whole
globe. He said Turkey would be one of the wise countries that would
shape the new world order, and Turkish diplomats would be working like
firefighters and city planners in all four corners of the globe. Indeed
there was a time when Turkey was mediating between Serbs and Bosnians,
intervening to solve the government crisis in Lebanon, and trying to
bring the Syrians and Israelis to the table. Some African countries
were asking Turkey to be their spokesperson at the G20. I even recall
some remote African country asking for Turkish mediation in a border
dispute.
For the past six months, however, the entire Turkish agenda has
been highjacked by the Syrian crisis as well as the Kurdish problem,
which has been exacerbated by the rise in violence. These two issues
are consuming so much of our energy that let alone devoting time to
"city planning" in the far-away corners of the world we are struggling
to extinguish fires at home and on our borders.
With the exception of Myanmar, we have not paid much attention to
other important world issues. Energy policy, and the related Turkey-
Azerbaijan relationship, is among the areas that seems to me not
to have attracted the attention it deserves, despite the fact that
important developments have taken place.
The deal signed between Ankara and Baku last June in İzmir to build
the $7 billion Trans-Anatolian natural gas pipeline (TANAP) to carry
Azeri gas to European markets has proved to be a major turning point.
Ironically the biggest loser in Turkey's "zero problems with
neighbors" policy, which had peaked by the end of the 2000s, was
Azerbaijan, which felt betrayed by Turkey's reconciliation efforts with
Armenia. Relations at the bilateral level soured, while Baku proved
unwilling to solve problems with bilateral energy issues. After Turkey
made a U-turn in its reconciliation policy with Armenia, relations
warmed up again. Finally, with the June agreements, the two seem to be
on the same page as far as energy issues are concerned. In addition,
Azerbaijan's investments in Turkey are rising fast, making Baku a
potential candidate to become the number-one foreign investor in
Turkey in the short term.
Relations with Baku are now so valuable to Turkey that the government
remained silent when Baku shamelessly pardoned and even promoted an
Azerbaijani soldier who had murdered an Armenian in Hungary, which
returned him to Baku.
Azerbaijan, on the other hand, remains adamant about turning down
Turkey's request to abolish visa requirements. Even the famous charisma
of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who will be in Azerbaijan
this week, might not work with İlham Aliyev, who has never been
particularly fond of the Turkish prime minister.
Still, those who want to be fair to Davutoglu could always argue that
at least relations with Baku are back on track.
September/11/2012
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress