BY SAMI KOHEN
MILLIYET- Respected journalist David Ignatius is planning to talk about Turkey in his Washington Post column this Sunday.
The journalist, at Bahcesehir University this week, said that the column will have important things to tell US elect-President Barack Obama about Turkey.
According to Ignatius, the US has a lot to learn from Turkey's knowledge and experience. Ankara's recent active role in its region has great importance for the US as a strategic partner. Ignatius' grandfather was from Turkey and he remains interested in our country, and his column could have an impact.
People are saying that after taking office on January 20, Obama is planning to pay his first foreign visits to Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar, and perhaps also Indonesia.
The reason for this last choice may be its being a majority-Muslim Asian country with many races and religions. In addition, Obama spent a part of his childhood and went to primary school there.
Turkey's strategic importance which the columnist wants to stress has been attracting interest not only in the US but also in Europe, thanks to our diplomats' recent regional missions. In line with its global strategy, Washington is placing great importance on Turkey's position and role. US analysts and diplomats believe that, although they have a different vision, Turkey's strategic importance will be on the mind of the Obama administration in its initial planning. They think that as Washington takes new steps in the region, it may need closer cooperation with Turkey.
Ankara's recent roles in regional issues such as the Arab-Israeli issue, Iraq, Iran, the Caucasus, Afghanistan, energy corridors, East-West dialogue, etc. also seem to getting European attention.
In Brussels last week, the European Union Council's praise for Ankara's efforts along these lines was significant.
A number of European leaders have recently made remarks on Turkey's importance in this area for the EU too. In his book, 'Yes to Turkey,' former French Premier Michel Rocard cites Turkey's strategic importance as a chief reason for admitting Turkey to the Union.
In a recent speech at Istanbul's Galatasaray University, Rocard said that the EU will need Turkey to become a global political power.
This view was also expressed in a recent report by the International Crisis Group, an EU think-tank.
However, we have to see that for the EU, the main factor for Turkey's membership is our domestic situation and performance on political reforms in particular, rather than our strategic importance.
This is the priority for EU officials.
In other words, Turkey can't make progress on its EU path by stressing its strategic importance and role alone.