US Dept of State (press release), DC
Feb 9 2007
The United States-Turkish Relationship
Daniel Fried, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian
Affairs
Digital Video Press Conference with Turkish Reporters Following
Washington Visit of Foreign Minister Gül
Washington, DC and Ankara, Turkey
February 8, 2007
Assistant Secretary Fried: I’m certainly grateful for the
opportunity. Good afternoon everyone and Merhaba.
Foreign Minister Gül is winding up several days of visits in
Washington. He has met with Secretary Rice, he has met with the Vice
President, he met with key congressional figures and leaders, and, of
course, with the rather extensive friends of Turkey group in
Washington. I was at a dinner last night hosted by the German
Marshall Fund in his honor which featured a very good discussion.
The United States-Turkish relationship is both deep and broad. It is
deep because our friendship goes back a very long way, and we work
together extremely closely on key issues. It is broad because it
touches a great number of issues.
The agenda with Turkey includes almost every issue in the Middle East
and the greater Middle East. We discuss with the Turks Lebanon,
Israel, Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran. We discuss the South
Caucasus. Not just Nagorno- Karabakh but Georgia, Azerbaijan, energy.
We discuss Central Asia, whether it’s Turkmenistan and the changes
that may be underway there or Kazakhstan and its future. We discuss
energy independence and energy dependence and the problem of
diversification of energy supplies.
And yes, of course we discussed the issue of the PKK, a terrorist
organization which we believe should be eliminated and the threat to
Turkey reduced to zero. In that context I was delighted to learn that
European officials, French officials have arrested a large number of
PKK operatives. This does, as has been reported, follow some close
cooperation between the United States and Turkey. This cooperation is
continuing. It will continue, and our cooperation is not limited to
Western Europe, let me put it that way.
And yes, in anticipation of some of your questions, of course we
discussed the resolution which has been introduced about
Armenian-Turkish issues, about the Armenian, what its supporters call
the Armenian Genocide. This bill does not have the support of the
administration. The administration opposes this bill. We have made
that clear. We are continuing to make it clear. Later today I am
going up to meet with key figures in the Congress about this bill and
I expect our efforts will continue.
The U.S.-Turkish relationship, though, is more important than any
particular issue. We have dealt with areas in which we disagree,
about Iraq in 2003, and other issues where we have had differences.
But despite those differences we remain friends. We are linked by
common values, and, critically, we are linked by common interests.
Our relationship with Turkey is knit together not simply by sentiment
but by strong, common interests, interests in a stable, more peaceful
Middle East; interest in the spread of our common values in the South
Caucasus and Central Asia. We have common interests in combating
terrorism. Turkey has played a strong role in the promotion of reform
in the broader Middle East. So our relationship with Turkey is a
strong one, it is a relationship which can withstand the occasional
disagreements because we are, after all, not children. We are not
prone to obsess about areas where we disagree or squabble for the
sake of squabbling, but to put any disagreements behind us and work
on the basis of our common objectives.
Now, with that, I’ll be happy to take any of your questions.
Media: Hi, I’m Evren Mesci working for Sabah Daily Newspapers.
Mr. Fried, you have talked of the relationship between Turkey and the
United States and you talked about how strong it is. So you also
talked about the resolution concerning the Armenian issue. How do you
think it would affect the strategic partnership between Turkey and
the U.S. if that resolution is passed from the Congress? And you said
you are going to talk with the key figures at the Congress. What will
be your thesis in order to convince them not to support this bill?
Thank you.
Assistant Secretary Fried: I and I suspect more senior people in the
U.S. administration than I will be discussing this.
Our argument is essentially this. Such a resolution will damage
U.S.-Turkish relations and for no good purpose. Such a resolution
would not in fact advance Turkish-Armenian dialogue and it would not
advance the process of Turkey’s examination of its own past.
I’ve always been of the view that democratic countries need to take a
hard look at the dark spots in their own history. And by the way, I
start with my own country. We do have dark spots in the United
States. Our past includes a past in which slavery was an institution
that existed in this country for centuries. We fought a civil war to
end it and still its affects linger to the present day. That is a
dark spot and we had to confront it honestly.
Our treatment in the 20th Century of Japanese-Americans in World War
II; our treatment of American Indians were dark spots in our history.
We had to deal with this honestly and painfully.
Our view is that Turkey is going through a process of looking at its
own history with Armenians. The killings in 1915 were horrific. They
need to be looked at honestly and without taboos, but not because
Americans say Turkey should look at this. It should be looked at
because Turks in the process of building a democracy and deepening a
democracy are looking at these issues for their own reasons.
I think this process is going on in Turkey. It is painful, it is
emotional. There are nationalist forces and it was an extreme
nationalist, it seems, who murdered Hrant Dink and there are millions
of Turks who reject this dark legacy of nationalism including the
hundreds of thousands of Turks who marched in the streets of Istanbul
at the Hrant Dink funeral saying things like we are all Armenians, we
are all Hrant Dink, which I interpret as Turkey’s rejection of
nationalism.
So my argument to the Congress will be that this natural, painful
process in Turkey needs to be allowed to unfold with encouragement
and support, but not pressure from the outside. That will be my
argument.
Now I don’t expect that everyone will accept it, but I will make the
case as best I can. And it won’t be just me. There will be more
senior people than I making the case and pointing out that
Turkish-U.S. relations should not be damaged for no good purpose.
But this is obviously a very emotional issue and I believe it is in
Turkey’s interest for its own reasons to take steps to examine its
past and to reach out to Armenians worldwide and to Armenia despite
the fact that Turks don’t like all of the things that Armenian
communities say.
Long answer, I’m sorry, but it’s a complicated question.
Media: Sevil Kucukosum from Aksam Daily. Regarding the murder of
Hrant Dink, do you think that this murder can create an opportunity
for reconciliation or normalization of relations between Turkey and
Armenia? Do you have any message to both sides?
Assistant Secretary Fried: It is not for the United States to tell
Turkey what to do. I was deeply saddened by the murder of Hrant Dink.
I felt the reaction in Turkey was the reaction of an honest and
democratic people, and the reaction I have in mind is the reaction of
horror and revulsion. The reaction of Turks who took to the streets
to identify with Hrant Dink as a man who refused to indulge in
nationalism but believed in a Turkey which embraces a multi-cultural
cosmopolitan identity for itself. I thought that was a healthy,
strong reaction.
Is there an opportunity for reconciliation? Perhaps, perhaps there
is. It seems clear that in Turkey the society as a whole, as much as
one can generalize, has rejected nationalism or is rejecting
nationalism, and I hope that Turkey’s leaders will build on this
strong legacy of tolerance in at least that part of the society and
reach out to Armenia and to Armenians.
This is not easy. It’s easy for me to sit here and say things like
this. It’s hard to do the right thing. But I think through strong
leadership it is possible to do this and I hope that Turkey takes
advantage of the opportunity.
Media: Mr. Fried, I have two questions. One, in the Turkish press
there is a feeling that Gül’s visit was a failure, and probably
because we were expecting lots of things. You are in a better
position than us to see how the American administration sees this
visit, the results of the visit. Also, the friends of Turkey in
Washington, the American Turkish Council, how they are receiving the
results of this visit.
The second thing is we are hearing from the American administration
that Turkey is no longer in a position to listen from Washington, but
in a position to advise Washington on certain issues. You counted
Afghanistan, Central Asia, Iran and Lebanon. I wonder if really
Turkish Foreign Ministry has things to advise to Washington about,
for example, Israeli-Palestinian relations or Lebanon.
Assistant Secretary Fried: Our relationship with Turkey is certainly
a two-way street. By that I mean that we welcome Turkish advice.
Turkey has a lot of experience in the Middle East. It has contacts,
connections. It has a deep knowledge of the history, from the Ottoman
period, and we welcome Turkish advice. And yes, Foreign Minister Gül
is not only an eloquent person, but he gave us advice on issues like
Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan, and frankly, that’s
welcomed.
Our relationship is not one where Turkey simply is a passive object
and receives advice. No one who has the slightest understanding of
the relationship would believe that. We welcome Turkish input and
advice and it tends to be pretty sound advice at that.
I don’t understand how any Turkish newspaper could call Foreign
Minister Gül’s visit a failure. I suspect that such articles, like
similar articles that appear in the United States about Secretary
Rice from time to time, are a function of domestic politics rather
than reality. I suspect that. I haven’t read these articles.
But look, this is the real world. In the real world when a foreign
minister comes to visit he and his counterparts go over a series of
issues. Issues on which they agree, issues on which they may have
differences, issues on which they need to take common action.
It was a successful visit in that we heard directly from Turkey
issues of concern to Turkey. It was a success because we were able to
discuss common objectives with respect to a number of issues. Foreign
Minister Gül presented Secretary Rice with some concrete ideas which
frankly we find very valuable, and we are going to work together with
Turkey on that basis.
It is also true that Foreign Minister Gül was very eloquent and
strong in presenting Turkey’s concerns about the Armenian Resolution
and about the PKK, and we welcomed this. It does no good for Turks
not to tell us what’s on their mind and what’s troubling them. We
welcome this.
So it was a good visit. We appreciate this dialogue. Our dialogue
with Turkey is intense. Under Secretary Burns was recently in Ankara.
General Ralston has been traveling to the region. He’s our envoy for
countering and combating the PKK. Our Economic Partnership Commission
is taking place this week in Turkey. Policy planning talks will be
held later. Our dialogue with Turkey is very rich and there is a lot
to talk about.
Media: Mr. Fried, my name is Hilal from Radikal daily. Actually I’d
like to ask a question about combating the PKK in Northern Iraq, but
also nowadays in Central Europe, in Belgium, in France there are some
operations, and members and leaders of the PKK have been captured
through this. Is there any direct link between these operations and
that visit, Mr. Gul’s visit United States? Just how do you evaluate
this issue? How do you see these operations [inaudible]? Thank you.
Assistant Secretary Fried: I doubt that the French police arrested
PKK terrorists to help the atmospherics around the visit of the
Turkish Foreign Minister in Washington. We appreciate our French
friends’ efforts, but the timing is clearly a coincidence.
But it is true that the United States and Turkey have been working
with our West European friends about the problem of the PKK. And it
is true that West European governments understand the nature of the
problem, and these arrests have been made. This is good news. These
aren’t the first arrests; I doubt they will be the last arrests.
But you are also correct when you suggest that the problem of the PKK
is obviously not confined to Western Europe. It’s also a problem in
Northern Iraq. We are cooperating with Turkey to deal with that
problem.
Solving it will require cooperation between Turkey and Iraq, both the
Iraqi central government and the Iraqi Kurdistan regional government
and I think this cooperation is moving forward.
We are working together on projects like the closing of the Makhmour
camp which had become, frankly, very heavily infiltrated by the PKK.
This process is underway now.
There are other things which might be done, but they are of a nature
that should not be discussed with the media openly.
Media: According to some latest news USA has started a huge operation
in Iraq, but on the other hand, some news agencies and a very close
person to Prime Minister el Maliki declare that there is no such
operation. So what is the truth? To whom are we to believe, has
America started an operation?
Assistant Secretary Fried: The Iraqi government with our support has
begun an operation to try to improve security in Baghdad, if that’s
the operation you’re referring to. That has started today. The
efforts will intensify. President Bush has made the case to the
American people that although Iraq is in grave difficulties to
withdraw from Iraq, to pull out would lead to a situation far worse
than it is at present, which is bad enough. To help stabilize Iraq
and give the central government time to establish itself we need to
help the Iraqis get a handle on the violence in Baghdad. That’s what
we are intending to do. The surge, as it’s called, the reinforcement
of U.S. forces in Baghdad, is intended to support the Iraqi
government which is launching this operation.
Turkey has played a supportive role working with Iraq. One of Foreign
Minister Gül’s messages throughout his trip is that despite some of
the differences between the United States and Turkey, Iraqis’ success
will be Turkey’s success. Iraqis’ failure will be Turkey’s failure
and Turkey has played a good role.
An Iraq which is more stable, more united – albeit federal, but one
country – is apt to be a better neighbor for Turkey and a less
hospitable place for the PKK.
Media: Zeynep Gurcanli from Vatan Daily Newspapers. You said in your
opening remarks that the Western European operation towards PKK was
not limited to Western Europe. So can we expect also a new operation
in Northern Iraq? And also what is the U.S. government position for a
possible cross-border operation, military operation, of Turkey
towards PKK in Northern Iraq?
Assistant Secretary Fried: To state the obvious but to start from it,
of course there is a problem of the PKK presence in Northern Iraq. Of
course this problem has to be dealt with. We are discussing with
Turkey and our Iraqi friends this problem. I’m not going to say any
more in this channel about it.
I understand in the press there has been speculation about unilateral
Turkish cross-border operations. I understand perfectly Turkish
frustration with the PKK bases and camps in Northern Iraq. This is
understandable. But the responsibility for the outcomes of such an
operation is something Turkey needs to think about.
It’s easy to talk about it, but the consequences can be not what
Turkey intends. So our view is that it is better for Turkey to
cooperate with the regional, the Kurdish regional authorities and
with the Central government and with us, and it is very fair for
Turkey to say that this cooperation should be meaningful, concrete
and yield results, but that’s our view.
Media: Mr. Fried, Gulsen Solaker from Anatolian Agency. You say that
you welcome the advices of Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul on some
issues. Is the United States listening also to the advices about the
Kirkuk issue? What is the latest position of United States government
about the Kirkuk referendum?
Assistant Secretary Fried: We understand Turkey’s interest in Kirkuk.
Ultimately this is an issue for Iraqis to decide. They have
constitutional provisions which require a referendum, but we think
it’s very fair for Turkey to express its views and its concerns about
this. This issue has come up. It’s something which Turkey should feel
free to express its concerns directly to the Iraqis and to the Kurds.
The solution will hopefully be one that contributes to stability in
Iraq, not detracts from it.
As I said, ultimately it’s an Iraqi decision. It’s their country, not
our country. But Turkey has every right to make its views known. We
found it interesting to hear the Foreign Minister’s arguments about
this.
Media: Conxita Isik from ANKA News Agency. There has been a problem
between Turkey and the Greek Cypriots regarding the latest attempts
to launch oil exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean. I would like
to know your position regarding this.
Assistant Secretary Fried: I’ve heard about this. I’m not familiar
with the details of the oil problem, but I will say this. We
supported the Annan Plan a couple of years ago because we believed it
was the best chance to reunite the island as a bi-zonal, bi-communal
federation. We also appreciate, frankly, the role of the Turkish
Cypriot leader Talat in strongly supporting reunification. I think it
is terrible that this opportunity was missed. There we are, however.
We think in the meantime it’s important to end the isolation of the
Turkish Cypriot community to help that economy develop and to support
reunification.
Now that there is a Turkish-Cypriot leadership that supports
reunification, that does not support separatism, it is the time now
to support this leadership in a way consistent with our position that
it ought to be a reunited island. This has been our position, we
don’t make a secret of it, and we welcome the efforts to increase
contacts between the two communities.
Media: Mr. Fried, at the beginning of your speech you said that Mrs.
Pelosi was planning to meet Minister Gül, also. Do you make any
effort to (audience noise) – Sorry, I understood like that maybe. We
know that Minister Gül wants to meet Ms. Pelosi. Do you make any
effort to gather them? And just how do you solve this crisis?
Assistant Secretary Fried: Speaker Pelosi and Foreign Minister Gül
did not meet. We think that such a meeting would have been a good
idea. The Speaker, let me put it this way, does not always listen to
all the advice from the administration. She does represent a
different political party. She is, after all, now I suppose the
leader of the opposition in Congress.
We do not support this resolution. We will make efforts to see that
this resolution does not pass. That is an unequivocal statement of
the administration’s position. I hope that Turkey, without regard to
this resolution, makes every effort to reach out to Armenia and
Armenians and makes every effort to examine its own history. Not
because of outside pressure, but because this is appropriate for
Turkey’s own development as a democracy.
The debate in Turkey about its history, the position of writers such
as Orhan Pamuk, the position of intellectuals, the participation of
Turkish scholars in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission some six
years ago is all the result not of any outside pressure. Orhan Pamuk
doesn’t care at all what the Americans think. It’s the result of
internal Turkish processes. I applaud these, and I hope that Turkey
for its own reasons will do everything it can to reach out to Armenia
and Armenians.
Great nations are not afraid to confront the dark spots of their
past. The United States had to do so and we were not our best selves,
we were not true to our best traditions until we had done so.
I believe the same is true of all countries. I believe the same is
true, therefore, of Turkey. I hope Turkey does this not to please the
United States but because of itself and this is something the United
States can best influence by being a friend, not by passing
resolutions. That is my view and I hope I can help convince the
Congress of it.
Ankara Public Affairs Officer Daniel Sreebny: Thank you very much for
the time. We’d love to keep you longer but we know you are just at
the start of a very busy day. We appreciate this and we hope you’ll
come out and visit sometime soon.
Assistant Secretary Fried: I love my visits to Ankara. I love my
visits to Istanbul, as well. I look forward to my next trip to
Turkey. Thank you.