When Ambassador Rafet Akgunay arrived on Wednesday to deliver a lecture on “Turkey and the Middle East” at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, he found himself fielding several questions on the increasing visibility of Turkey in regional and global politics. With characteristic finesse, he responded: “We are finding ourselves in a new world order. Where to go, and what directions to take, are becoming hard to predict. But you can be sure that Turkey will engage the world constructively, and use its soft power now more than ever.”
Ambassador Akgunay (F76), who is deputy undersecretary in Turkey’s Foreign Ministry, was returning to The Fletcher School after 35 years. “My education at The Fletcher School has been instrumental in shaping my career. It is a bit late, but I would like to use this opportunity to thank my professors,” he quipped.
The audience listened in rapt attention as Dr. Akgunay went on to outline Turkey’s foreign policy prescriptions for engagement with the Middle East. “The post-Cold War scenario has thrown up several new challenges,” he said, “some of which deeply affect Turkey.” New crises like terrorism, in Dr.Akgunay’s words, could only be managed by greater “interaction between countries.”
“I am often asked: ‘Is Turkey pursuing neo-Ottomanism?.’ I don’t think it is justified to call our foreign policy so. Since Mustafa Kemal Ataturk adopted the policy of ‘Peace at Home, Peace in the World,’ Turkey has always tried to act as a bridge between the East and the West.”
If the world was bipolar during the Cold War era, it is now characterized by institutions that facilitate global governance. During this transition, how did Turkey maneuvre its foreign policy? Dr. Akgunay projected Turkey’s economic strength as a crucial determinant in this regard. “The rapid economic growth of Turkey after the mid-eighties was instrumental in turning us into a trading power. Now we are the sixteenth largest economy in the world, with a GDP of $1 trillion. The share of Turkey’s exports to the Middle East has increased substantially over the years. A sound economic basis, I would argue, is the basis for Turkey’s valid standing and constructive engagement with the region.”
In recent times, the Middle East had become a major source of security concerns to Turkey, said Dr. Akgunay. In particular, he referred to Turkey’s relationship with Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Israel.
“Turkey has a long history of active engagement with Iraq. If the Gulf crisis of the nineties deepened our relationship, the first decade of the new millennium saw us cooperating to counter cross-border terrorism. The Turkish vision of a stable Iraq lays priority to the latter’s territorial integrity.” Turkey has provided, and will continue to provide, training to political parties in Iraq.”
Ankara’s relationship with Syria was also the subject of many queries from the audience, given the sensitive situation on the ground. Dr. Akgunay labelled relations as being on “good terms,” and that although both countries found themselves in “opposing Cold War camps,” they had consolidated the relationship through Confidence-Building Measures (CBMS) and trade agreements. At the same time, he acknowledged, the recent spate of protests in Syria was likely to complicate the nature of the relationship.
“Turkey envisions the Middle East as a WMD-free zone, and therefore, Iran’s nuclear ambitions are of concern to us,” said Dr. Akgunay. But an isolationist policy against Iran, in the diplomat’s opinion, would be counterproductive, and Turkey was willing to play the role of a facilitator between Iran and the West.
The recent friction between Turkey and Israel over the Gaza flotilla incident has not changed the “essentially good” relationship that both countries share, according to the ambassador. “Recent tensions are only intergovernmental, and do not fundamentally alter our equation with Israel.” On the Middle East peace process, Turkey was looking for a negotiated settlement between Israel and Palestine, he said.
The totalitarianism that marked some of the regimes in the Middle East has made the region “weak” and susceptible to collapse, observed Dr. Akgunay. “The Arab Spring has called for reform, which will hopefully pave the way for democracy. Turkey supports the democratic demands of the people. In many ways, this transformation in the Middle East and North Africa is historic: but it has to be lead by the people. For our part, Turkey will extend support, technical assistance, and economic cooperation to the region.”
Turkey’s energy-oriented projects, especially new gas and oil pipeline proposals, may temporarily have to be shelved till the popular uprisings settle down, he admitted.
Ambassador Akgunay wound up his lecture by identifying the pillars of Turkish foreign policy agenda. Being cognizant of its “historical legacy,” Turkey is willing to use “soft power in emerging as a credible interlocutor,” he said.
“The methodological principles behind Turkey’s external engagement are oriented to balance security and democracy. We will uphold our policy of ‘zero problems’ with neighbors and facilitate preventive diplomacy to the maximum possible extent,” concluded Dr. Akgunay.
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A Student Correspondent