Agence France Presse
May 1, 2009 Friday
Davutoglu: architect of Turkey’s foreign policy activism
ANKARA, May 1 2009
Turkey’s new foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu, a long-time advisor to
the prime minister, is credited with being the architect of the
country’s increasingly active role in the Middle East.
Though he avoids the limelight and rarely speaks to the media,
Davutoglu has been highly influential in shaping the country’s new
foreign policy vision.
This new policy aspires to a pivotal role for Turkey as a mediator in
conflicts in the Middle East, a large part of which was ruled for
centuries by Ottoman Turks, until World War I.
The appointment of this soft-spoken former academic as foreign
minister in a major cabinet reshuffle Friday marks a rare phenomenon
in Turkish politics: an official joining the cabinet without being a
parliament member.
Davutoglu, 50, led the Turkish team that shuttled between Israel and
the radical Palestinian movement Hamas in January as part of
international efforts to get a ceasefire.
He is also known to be among the prime movers of Turkish-mediated
indirect peace talks between Israel and Syria,
But they were shelved after four rounds following Israel’s bloody
offensive against the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip in late December.
When Turkey launched a cross-border military operation against Kurdish
rebel bases in neighbouring Iraq last year, it was again Davutoglu who
led a Turkish delegation that travelled to Baghdad to soothe Iraqi
protests.
For critics, Davutoglu’s vision reflects "neo-Ottoman" ambitions by
the ruling Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party.
They argue that this policy focuses on former Ottoman territories and
on improving ties with Muslim countries at the expense of secular
Turkey’s traditional pro-Western orientation.
Davutoglu has dismissed accusations that the country — a NATO member
and a candidate for European Union membership — is shifting away from
the West, arguing instead for an integrated foreign policy.
"Turkey cannot prioritize its relations with the East or the West,"
the Turkish Weekly, an Internet news site, quoted him as saying in
January.
"The deeper its EU perspective, the bigger its influence in the Middle
East will be. The bigger its weight on the Middle East, the more
influential Turkey will be within the EU," he said.
Davutoglu advocates a policy of "zero problem" with neighbouring
countries and is expected to follow up on recently intensified
fence-mending efforts with Armenia, with which Turkey has no
diplomatic ties.
Born in 1959 in the conservative province of Konya, Davutoglu
graduated from the department of economics and political science of
Istanbul’s prestigious Bogazici University.
He holds a master’s degree in public administration and a PhD degree
in political science and international relations from the same
university.
Before joining the team of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s
advisors in 2003, he followed an academic career, which included a
stint at the International Islamic University in Malaysia.
He has also published several books on international politics.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
