BY ZEYNEP GURCANLI
STAR- Columnist Zeynep Gurcanli comments on the shifting balances and alliances in Turkey. A summary of her column is as follows:
The US operation against Iraq not only overthrew Saddam Hussein’s regime, but also upset all the internal balances in Turkey. It turned the ‘alliances’ of Turkish political players abroad upside down. Let’s start with the Justice and Development Party (AKP).
Obviously the administrators and ministers of the AKP have a deep Islamic line in their past. This ‘deep Islamic line’ established a natural basis so the late Welfare Party (RP) could establish close relations with Iran’s Islamic regime. The 1996 REFAHYOL government didn’t approach relations with Israel warmly, but the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) developed relations with Israel during that time. The military training agreement signed by then Deputy Chief of General Staff Cevik Bir became a turning point in Turkish-Israeli relations. While the TSK’s steps towards Israel caused joy in the US, the natural gas agreements made by REFAHYOL’s RP wing with Iran caused a strain in Turkish-US relations. However, all these alliances, approaches and tendencies seem to have changed when the AKP government came to power last fall.
Recent moves by the government demonstrate that the AKP sees its future not in Tehran, but in Washington and Brussels. The clear message concerning this issue came from Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul. During this week’s Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) meeting in Tehran, Gul gave a message to Islamic countries – mostly host country Iran – that they should work to become democratic, transparent regimes and put an end to gender discrimination. However, there were also ‘secret’ messages sent by the AKP government to Washington. US sources state that many figures not holding official AKP posts but still supporters of the party visited Washington and brought messages. US sources also say that the messages delivered through back channels were mostly about Iran but spoke with one voice, saying that the US can trust Turkey on the Iranian issue.
Ankara saw a reflection of these messages earlier this week. The main issue which was discussed during the Israeli defense minister’s visit to Ankara was the danger created by Iran and its weapons programs. Finally the AKP government and Israel made an agreement on ‘intelligence sharing’ against the danger of Iran and terrorism. This decision, which was kept hidden from Turkish public opinion, was written about in Israeli newspapers.
While the AKP government is taking steps towards the West, the ‘traditional ally of the West’ in Turkey – that is, the TSK – has started to move away from it. The TSK isn’t against our European Union membership, because it’s on the path drawn by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. However, the conditions put forth by the EU for full membership mean a change of the TSK’s role within society and politics and questioning the values that it defends. For this reason, there have been ‘chill winds’ between the TSK and the US for a long time. These chill winds seem to have found reflection in the TSK’s relations with the US. The US wants to please Kurdish groups which fought alongside its forces during the war in Iraq and create a ‘reliable ally’ in Iraq’s fragile territory. This is the complete opposite of the Kurdish policy that the TSK has been promoting. In his latest statement, Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok said that Turkey’s strategic partnership with the US was very important and that it should be protected, but these words aren’t likely to change this atmosphere any time soon. The alliances are changing. These changes seem to affect all our lives.
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION