World Politics Review
March 5 2010
Reading Turkey’s Signals
Judah Grunstein | 05 Mar 2010
Turkey’s decision to recall its ambassador in Washington for
discussions following yesterday’s passage of the Armenian Genocide
bill by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs is understandably
getting quite a bit of attention. But in what is likely to be the
overlooked counterbalance to that decision, Turkish Foreign Minister
Ahmet Davutoglu said today that Ankara remained determined to
normalize relations with Armenia, although he acknowledged that
parliamentary ratification of recently signed protocols was not
guaranteed.
The recall of the ambassador signals Turkey’s willingness to flex its
diplomatic muscles, which the Obama administration currently has need
of in addressing Iran’s nuclear program, as well as in Iraq. But the
move is mainly pre-emptive, and meant to test whether the Obama
administration is willing and able to keep the Armenian Genocide bill
from advancing further.
Davutoglu’s statement today indicates that whatever damage has been
done is limited and reversible. It also signals that rapprochement
with Armenia is in Turkey’s interests, independent of its bilateral
relations with the U.S.
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