BURNS: US TO REVITALIZE ITS CRITICAL PARTNERSHIP WITH TURKEY
Journal of Turkish Weekly
The New Anatolian
Monday, 17 September 2007
Turkey
The United States, now convinced that the Erdogan administration is
here to stay after its resounding elections victory, feels it has to
revitalize its relationship with Ankara.
The Americans are dispatching Nicholas Burns, the Under Secretary for
Political Affairs who is regarded the no.3 man in the State Department
to Ankara consultations with the Turkish leaders. This comes on the eve
of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s trip to New York to attend
the United Nations General Assembly. There are rumors that Erdogan
may proceed to Washington for talks with the Bush Administration and
the U.S. Congress.
Burns told a gathering of the Atlantic Council if the United States
in Washington that it is time to "rejuvenate and restore America’s
relationship with Turkey."
The U.S. official his government looks forward to a very close
relationship with President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister
Erdogan. "President Bush and Secretary Rice respect both of these
men. We have worked very well and productively with them in years
past and know that will continue in the years to come."
He said Turkey-US relations have reached a ‘critical juncture’. Burns,
who said ‘we should work together’ on the issues of Iran and energy,
made several challenging remarks to Ankara during his speech.
U.S. is clearly annoyed by a recent major deal signed between Turkey
and Iran for developing Iranian gas fields and carrying Iranian gas to
Europe. The development comes at a time when there are speculations
that the U.S. wants new action against Iran as it claims dialogue
has failed to stop the Iranian nuclear program.
Burns said as Turkey "is the only country in the region that can
work effectively with all of the others in the Middle East" and
"its influence is substantial and unique. In this very important
sense, Turkey is an indispensable partner to the United States in
the Middle East."
"On perhaps the most dynamic international issue of 2007 — energy —
we share a common interest with the Turks," he said.
On religion Burns said Turkey’s commitment to secular democracy makes
it a natural ally for the U.S.
Burns said Turkey may now be at a new historical turning point,
with a real opportunity to invigorate political and economic reforms
that will anchor it in the European Union and bolster its ability to
inspire reformers in the greater Middle East region.
"As Turkey’s democratic institutions strengthen and as its reforms
proceed, Turkey grows in importance to the U.S. as a strategic
partner. Realizing the full potential of this partnership poses
several immediate challenges to both of our countries. In the Middle
East, Turkey can play a regional leadership role that could help the
U.S. achieve some of its most pressing foreign policy goals, but which
will require careful coordination to prevent our two countries from
operating at cross-purposes," Burns said.
The Americans have been angered as Turkey hosted a Hamas leader last
year to push the extremist Palestinians to tine down their radical
approach.
Burns said Iraq is a priority. He admitted U.S. decision to liberate
Iraq from Saddam Hussein’s brutality triggered an unprecedented wave
of anti-Americanism in Turkey. "Our official relations have recovered
from the low-point of the Turkish Parliament’s vote on March 1,
2003 to reject our request to move U.S. forces into Iraq via Turkey.
Since then, Ankara has been a strong supporter of our efforts to
stabilize Iraq, and has asked us not to abandon our goals, particularly
safeguarding Iraq’s territorial integrity."
On the PKK Burns categorically denied the U.S. helps the terrorist
organization."Turkey’s willingness to help the international community
address Iraq is all the more appreciated given the difficulties it is
suffering as a result of attacks from PKK terrorists in Iraq. Let me
assure you, the United States condemns the PKK as a vicious terrorist
group. We mourn the loss of innocent Turkish lives in these attacks.
We remain fully committed to working with the Governments of
Turkey and Iraq to counter PKK terrorists, who are headquartered
in northern Iraq. We are making progress in putting in place the
mechanisms required to produce such concrete results against the
PKK. We will also follow up our success in working with Turkey and
our other European partners to interdict PKK terror financiers in
Europe and bring them to justice."
He said Turkey and the United States "also face a challenge in
Iran." While he praised Turkish cooperation against the Iranian nuclear
program he said the two countries still need to work out some tactical
differences in handling Iran."
"We understand that Iran is a neighbor of Turkey and key trading
partner, which sends over a million tourists to Turkey each
year. Turkey’s recent conclusion of a memorandum on energy cooperation
with Iran, however, is troubling. Now is not the time for business
as usual with Iran. We urge all of our friends and allies, including
Turkey, to not reward Iran by investing in its oil and gas sector,
while Iran continues to defy the United Nations Security Council by
continuing its nuclear research for a weapons capability."
On the European Union he said the U.S. calls on Europe’s leaders to
signal clearly and unambiguously that Turkey will have a voice in
Union in the future.
"Europe’s full embrace of a reformed Turkey will send a powerful
signal to Europe’s other Muslim populations that Islam and democracy
are compatible, and that integration into mainstream European society
is possible without surrendering one’s Islamic identity.
This could be a crucial factor in defeating Europe’s extremist
recruiters, who prey on alienated Europe’s Muslim populations."
On legal reforms he said the U.S. hopes Turkey will repeal Article 301
of the Penal Code, which restricts freedom of expression and has led to
outlandish legal cases against private citizens and global figures such
as Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk. "We also hope Turkey will help make its
own case with the EU by allowing the Ecumenical Patriarch’s religious
school at Halki in Istanbul to reopen decades after it closed."
He said the U.S. appreciates the difficulties that security
cooperation with EU poses for Turkey given the still-evolving
Turkey-EU relationship, the circumstances of Turkey’s participation
in activities within the European Security and Defense Policy, as well
as the complications resulting from the lack of a Cyprus settlement.
"Yet it is vital for all of us, including Turkey, that NATO and
the EU are indeed able to work together in crisis areas around the
world. For this and many other reasons, we call on all relevant parties
to reinvigorate UN-brokered efforts to reach a comprehensive Cyprus
settlement that reunifies the island into a bi-zonal, bi-communal
federation."
He said the U.S. welcomes last week’s meeting of Greek Cypriot
President Tassos Papadopoulos and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali
Talat, and look forward to future such meetings to implement last
year’s July 8 agreement.
He said he intends to travel to Cyprus this autumn and will communicate
to the Greek Cypriot government leadership and the Turkish leadership
the strong wish of the United States that "we might all contribute to
a breakthrough for peace after decades of crisis. The time has come
for the United Nations and all of us to achieve a just solution to
the long-festering problem of Cyprus."
On Armenia he said U.S. and Turkey face a serious challenges "Each year
on April 24, Armenian Remembrance Day, President Bush has issued a
public statement lamenting the mass killings and forced deportations
of up to 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman authorities at the end
of World War I. The United States condemnation of this tragedy is
not at issue; the question is how best to facilitate reconciliation
of all concerned parties with each other and with their painful and
shared past. We believe passage of the U.S. House of Representative’s
Resolution 106, which would make a political determination that the
tragedy of 1915 constituted genocide, would undercut voices emerging
in Turkey for dialogue and reconciliation concerning these horrific
events. We therefore have recommended to Congress that it not pass
such a resolution. "
He said the U.S. strongly encourages Turkey to normalize its relations
and reopen its border with Armenia.
"Now, in the wake of the AKP’s resounding electoral victories, is
the time for Ankara to make a bold opening toward Armenia. And we
hope that Armenia will respond in kind."
Burns said Turkey and the U.S. now stand at the edge of a potentially
new era in Turkish politics that offers a chance to restore a sense of
strategic partnership in U.S.-Turkish relations. "The United States
is determined to seize this opportunity to renew and strengthen our
strategic partnership with Turkey."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
