Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA) President Günay Evinch is increasingly concerned over prevailing Republican presence in the House, saying this might spell more pressure on Turkey to change its policies on Israel and Iran.
Evinch told the Anatolia news agency that Republican sympathy for Israel and Turkey are conflicting and that if GOP members feel the need to choose one of the two, they will opt for Israel as a result of pressure from their grassroots.
Republicans took the control of the House of Representatives on Tuesday in midterm elections, while Democrats narrowly held onto the Senate, scripting an uncertain new era of divided government for the final two years of Obama’s term.
Noting that GOP members could more likely bring issues related to Israel and Iran to the agenda considering their sensitiveness on them, Evinch said there might be growing pressure on Turkey to mend ties with Israel. But he said he does not expect this pressure to run high and common sense will prevail given that Turkish-Israeli relations have softened recently.
Recalling that there were also concerns over the US’s Turkish policy in Congress in the past, Evinch said ultimately the US has always behaved based on its national interests and that the administration has even issued warnings to Congress when deemed necessary. “Turkey is the best friend of Israel in the region and Israel is the closest country to Turkey in terms of its lifestyle, democratic and economic culture and it is also a powerful voice in the US,” Evinch explained.
Evinch added that the US administration is generally positive about Turkey’s initiatives in the Middle East, but he said several Congress members view Turkey’s efforts as anti-Israel.
Evinch said Congress might also create serious problems for Turkey regarding Iran, ruling out a similar scenario on the Armenian issue. He said GOP members always highlight national interests and do not make any leeway for ethnic policies. Former Energy Minister Hilmi Güler also told Anatolia that Turkey needs to take several measures and assess the new realities. “Because I think the view of classic Republicans of Turkey is a little bit different now. For this reason, we need to decide on every step more carefully and surely,” Güler said.
Noting that a missile shield problem between Turkey and the US, Israeli-Turkish relations, Armenia and Iran will be on the agenda in the new term, Güler said the US is an important country for Turkey and that ties with the US need to be carried to a more positive realm in terms of how Turkey is perceived in the US.
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