by Ugur Akinci, Ph.D.
I believe Recep Tayyip Erdogan was the first Turkish politician who ever visited the White House and received a head of state treatment even though he was not even an elected member of the Parliament yet. That was back in December 2002.
Thirteen months later Erdogan has returned to the White House during the Washington D.C. leg of his whirlwind U.S. visit as the Prime Minister of Turkey for a second meeting with President Bush, as a leader commanding a strong electoral mandate and the uncontested leader of his ruling conservative AKP (Justice and Development Party), a party that due to its pro-Western and progressive agenda has surprised those who expected a sorry repeat of the pro-Islamist Welfare Party adventure.
I had the opportunity to listen to PM Erdogan on two occasions during his visit to Washington D.C.; both during ATAA`s (Assembly of Turkish American Associations) 24th Annual Convention held in Fairmont Hotel. PM Erdogan obliged graciously with ATAA President Ercument Kilic`s invitation and took the time from his hectic schedule to deliver the opening keynote speech at the Convention, on the morning of January 30, 2004. The large conference room at the Fairmont Hotel was filled with over four hundred Turkish-Americans and friends of Turkey.
Accompanying PM Erdogan was a high-profile contingency of Turkish officials including Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Gul, State Minister Ali Babacan, AKP Istanbul Deputy and Erdogan`s foreign policy advisor Egemen Bagis, other ministers and AKP deputies, and over one hundred Turkish businessmen and journalists also traveling with the Prime Minister.
Turkish Ambassador to Washington Dr. Faruk Logoglu, U.S. Ambassador to Ankara Eric Edelman, Azeri Ambassador to Washington Dr. Hafiz Pashayev, Turkish Consul Generals from all over the United States were among the many VIPs present during Erdogan`s ATAA speech.
Since 1989, during my career as a journalist and a writer in Washington D.C., I have seen quite a few Turkish Prime Ministers pass from the nation`s capital. Recep Tayyip Erdogan is arguably the most confident and self-assured of them all. His ability to connect with his audience, whether it`s small or large, and the ability to share his overbrimming confidence in himself, on the one hand, and in his party and colleagues, on the other, was unmistakable. PM Erdogan struck me as a man who believes one hundred percent in what he says. He spoke like he had no doubts whatsoever that Turkey has the power and ability to achieve the lofty but tough goals the country set for herself since AKP came to power in November 2002.
Another impression I had was the surprising degree to which he was aware of the realities of political life in the United States.
Perhaps, at a second thought, this should not come as a surprise at all since his foreign policy adviser AKP Istanbul Deputy Egemen Bagis has been a long-time resident of New York City and the President of the Federation of Turkish American Associations until the November 2002 Turkish elections which carried him to the Turkish Parliament.
You could tell PM Erdogan has received detailed and up to date information about the way American politics works and how the first and second generation of Turkish-Americans could be more effective in fostering the long-standing Turkish-American friendship.
His strong encouragement of the Turkish-Americans to get more intimately involved with the American mainstream, to integrate as American citizens with all phases of American life in general, and to participate in the U.S. politics in particular as voters, volunteers and candidates was most welcomed. Perhaps his belief in the wonders of grassroots networking also holds the secret of AKP`s meteoric rise to power and continuing popularity.
PM Erdogan came across as an energetic leader who welcomes change and likes to keep things (talks, negotiations, visits, offers, counter-offers) on the move.
His own mega-paced schedule is perhaps a reflection of this as well. No sooner than he returned from Davos to Ankara, he was off to New York and Washington. As soon as he finished his Washington speech, he left for the airport, on his way to Boston. A few days later he was expected to visit South Korea.
This is a man with a mission, a leader racing against time on multiple fronts, which might present a challenge for those (like his staff and the members of the Turkish media) whose jobs require that they keep pace with this former soccer star.
When I put the question as to whether it was difficult to keep pace with Erdogan to a famous journalist from Ankara whom I respect a great deal, he just rolled his blood-shot eyes and admitted that covering the agile prime minister meant very little sleep indeed.
Here are some selective highlights of what I believe PM Erdogan`s successful Washington visit has achieved:
1) In the Cyprus issue, the Turkish side continued to build on the momentum unleashed by Erdogan and Gul`s former statements regarding Turkey`s readiness to finally solve the Cyprus impasse, and do so preferably before May 1, 2004 when the Greek-Cyprus will be joining the European Union as a full-member. “We will always be one step ahead of the Greek-Cypriots in finding a solution,” Erdogan said.
The U.S. Administration is firmly backing up the AKP government although it is not clear how the wrinkles, such as the status of Guzelyurt (Morphou) and the issue of the resettlers, will be resolved to the satisfaction of both sides. Secretary of State Colin Powell is assigned to “help” the both sides, although he is officially neither a “mediator” nor a “facilitator” yet. Perhaps Washington does not want to show all its cards before there is some concrete progress on the ground.
Turkish National Security Council on January 24 declared that the Annan Plan will be taken as a “reference” while paying attention to the “facts on the ground.” It remains to be seen what is really coded into such carefully constructed and crucial phrases.
However, Erdogan in Washington made it very clear that the accusation that the AKP government was trying to “give away Cyprus and get over with it” is a “dishonorable charge” that he denied categorically. He is obviously well aware of the national sensitivities indexed to the issue and feels outright insulted with the accusation.
2) Regarding Iraq, President Bush assured PM Erdogan that the U.S. supported Iraq`s territorial integrity. That was a message comforting to the Turkish side. U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz during his recent visit to Turkey declared in a CNN-Turk TV program that they would pursue the PKK in northern Iraq regardless of the new names PKK adopts.
PM Erdogan, however, admitted to Turkish journalists that the words “Kerkuk” or “Turkmens” were not mentioned during his White House meeting with President Bush.
Thus even though PM Erdogan`s visit clearly achieved a solid affirmation of some Turkish goals in Iraq (i.e. territorial integrity of Iraq and containment of PKK) I am not sure to what extent Turkmen`s rights and the status of Kerkuk were addressed during the meetings the Turkish delegation had in Washington.
During the second day of the ATAA Convention, the audience stood in silence for one minute to honor the memory of a Turkmen leader who had been slain that morning in Kerkuk by unknown assailants. The sad news was a reminder that there still remains a lot of work to be done on the part of Washington to bring the situation in northern Iraq under control in a manner to render any and all Turkish concerns redundant.
3) One issue that may create friction in the future with one of Turkey`s closest allies, Azerbaijan, is the Erdogan government`s positive approach to opening the borders with the Republic of Armenia. I gathered that the dominant view in AKP is to open the borders to encourage trade between Turkey and Armenia. I think there are many in AKP who believe that increased commerce makes better neighbors, and thus eases the way for better relations.
The Azerbaijani senior officials that I had the chance to listen to during the ATAA Convention, however, did not try to hide their categorical opposition to opening the Turkish-Armenian border gates while the Armenian forces still occupy Nagorno-Karabakh and while over one million Azeris are still refuges in their own land, living in tents and under deplorable conditions. Azeris are still deeply skeptical of increased trade`s assumed power to change the hearts and minds of the Armenian side regarding the occupied Azeri lands.
PM Erdogan`s visit completed the reconciliation process that began in the aftermath of the Turkish Parliament`s March 1, 2003 veto of the transfer of U.S. 4th Infantry Division from over Turkish territory to Iraq, to join the other U.S. occupation forces.
The upcoming local elections in Turkey may fortify the strategic relations even further if AKP candidates receive forty or even fifty per cent of the votes.
That would strengthen AKP government`s hand in making some very tough decisions in Cyprus until the month of May and withstanding the inevitable political fallout.
Such a development in turn would or should energize Washington even further to increase its efforts on behalf of getting a firm date from the EU by December 2004 for Turkey`s full-membership and preventing northern Iraq disintegrating into the “Balkans of the Middle East.”