Interview with Nuh Yilmaz, director of the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA) in Washington, DC.
Q: How could you characterize the current political course of the Turkish leadership?
A: Turkey has been following a new foreign policy in the last couple of years, which requires political stability, regional peace and economic interdependency. This foreign policy perspective helped Turkey prosper and create a peaceful atmosphere in the region. This policy transformed and redefined Turkey’s national interest in a positive and constructive way. Turkey’s newly defined national interest is to secure free flow of goods, services and people in the region. This policy achieved most of its goals, and reached to a point where some countries that do not benefit from political stability and regional peace felt threatened. At this point, Turkish leadership is tested and has been trying to find a creative and pragmatic solution to overcome this problem.
Q: Do you share the opinion that strategic partnership between Turkey and Israel is over?
A: Since strategic partnership requires a common and shared national interest, I do agree strategic partnership between Turkey and Israel is no longer alive. As I mentioned above, Turkey’s national interest depends on political stability, economic interdependence and regional peace. However, current Israeli government works against these principles by pursuing policies of permanent tensionand conflict. This creates political instability and economic isolation in the region. Therefore, unless Israel or Turkey change their regional perspective and their foreign policy, I do not see this strategic partnership revivesany time soon. In the mean time, since the problem is about principles not about Turkish anti-Israeli sentiment, there is hope that relations between the two countries may improve. It is important to note that Turkish-Israeli relationship is still alive but the nature of the relationship has surely changed.
Q: How can this tension in Turkish-Israeli relations influence Turkish-American relations?
A: Both countries have had a special relationship with the US It would be naïve to think that the Turkish-Israeli tension will not affect their relationship with the US. In terms of Turkey’s relationship with the US, the most serious impact will be felt in the Congress’ attitude towards Turkey. The influence of the so-called Israeli lobbying the American Congress is a known fact. In the current climate, the main objective of especially the right-wing segments of the Israeli lobby vis-à-vis Turkey is to transform the tension into a Turkey-US problem. We can expect moves in the US Congress that would provoke a reaction in Turkey. If the US administration prevents this from happening, it would be serious gain for the Turkish-American relationship. In the meantime, Turkish government needs to show more restraint and should not fall into this trap either. However, if the negative scenario works and right-wing Israeli lobby achieves its goal by turning Turkey-Israel disagreement into a Turkey-US problem, the responsibility for the deterioration of relations would not fall on Turkey’s shoulders. If the right-wing Israeli lobby were able to impact Turkish-American relations at that level, this would raise serious questions about the role of Israeli lobby on American foreign policy making. Such a scenario will ultimately impact US-Israeli relations as well. Considering all these possibilities, I think neither Turkey nor Israel would take that risk.
Q: Don't you think that Jewish community will stop supporting Turkey in Kurdish problem and on issue of recognition of so-called "Armenian genocide" in the world and in US, in particular?
A: There is a difference between the right-wing Israeli lobby and the Jewish community itself. This segment of the lobby aims to mobilize any means necessary to support even the most harmful and self-destructive policies of right wing Israeli government to impact US foreign policy. I do not see any problems between Turkey and the American Jewish community.
Q: Does Turkey’s new foreign policy mean that Ankara has disavowed the idea of integration to European Union?
A: There is no refusal of the integration process from either side. Negotiations and legal adjustments for integration have been in full force and continuing. Turkey has been implementing its legal, economic, social reforms for full accession and I do expect more progress in the near future.
Q: How successful can Turkey be while playing the role of the leader of the Islamic world?
Turkey does not seek to become the leader of the Islamic world. In fact, there is not a singular “Islamic world” out there that has been awaiting a leader. Turkey has been trying to create an atmosphere that would bring peace and prosperity to any country in the region including Romania, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan etc. If economic integration and political stability and peace are achieved, all stakeholders will benefit from the situation. In that sense, Turkey is very much interested in what the American philosopher Fred Dallmayr calls “mutual empowerment” in its relations with neighbors and countries in adjacent regions.
Can Turkish-Azerbaijani relations get worse if Azerbaijan continues its close partnership with Israel?
A: I do not see that happening. Azerbaijani-Israeli relationship is a bilateral matter and Turkey has its own relationship with Israel as well. If Azerbaijan sees benefit and national interest in its close relationship with Israel, it is Azerbaijan’s sovereign decision to continue that relationship. This is the same thing for Turkey. What Turkey would look at is not those bilateral relations, but how those relations are reflected vis-à-vis regional peace and political stability. If that relationship serves to peace and stability, then it would be welcome.
Aliyah Fridman
News.Az
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
