BY ARDAN ZENTURK
STAR- Will the Obama administration declare Turkey a 'committer of genocide' this April 24 (the anniversary of the so-called genocide)? I don't know. At a certain point in Turkey's Middle East policy, those who are pushing the government to turn against Israel might welcome this development, in order to say we told you so. Personally, I wouldn't care. On the contrary, I would just thank God and be glad that a blackmail which has been imposed on us for so many years had ended. The parliaments of France and Argentina said that we committed genocide, but we didn't, did we? There's a lobby which is ready to exaggerate the news from Washington, but I ignore it, because as far as I can see, there's no administration crazy enough to turn its back on Turkey.
The American Business Forum in Turkey (ABFT) has been around for just five years. It's a non-governmental organization of American investors in Turkey which is getting stronger. Its new report on Turkey's business and investment climate is very important. It got my attention last year too, but this year it's more striking. During the Cold War, whenever Turkey and the US met for business, all the retired American generals used to be there. I don't know why, but defense industry CEOs and their lobbyists used to lay the groundwork for bilateral economic ties. But for the last couple of years, they haven't been around. On the contrary, the energy sector has become more important. As a matter of fact, the main address at a recent ABFT meeting was given by Energy Minister Hilmi Guler. Obviously, Turkey has strengthened its position as the key country for Western energy security. Of course, this confidence could be seen between the lines of Guler's speech, which said that Turkey was determined to implement the Nabucco project to carry Caspian-Central Asian natural gas to Europe.
Obviously, the course of our ties with the US is also important in this world, which is full of risks. So the main messages given by US Ambassador to Turkey James Jeffrey at the ABFT meeting should be noted. He first thanked Turkey for its efforts for peace in the Middle East and said he hoped this would continue. Jeffrey added that the US knows Turkey is a very important country for ensuring stability in Afghanistan and Pakistan and that the US hopes it will continue to support Iraq, the Middle East's youngest democracy. He said there is much the two countries can do together in the Caucasus and the Black Sea and that the US is determined to support Turkey's efforts to ensure Western energy security. So Turkish-US relations remain on course, despite the controversies over Hamas and Davos. But there's another important detail.
Jeffrey also said that as the economic crisis started in the US but affected the entire world, the US is also responsible for solving this crisis, and that President Barack Obama is taking decisive steps towards this end. He added that countries like Turkey which run the risk of falling exports and rising unemployment would be helped by the Obama administration's crisis planning. Jeffrey also said that the US is determined to keep all its doors open to a country like Turkey, which it cooperates with in areas such as energy security and independence.
These statements are important, as they show that the US might put programs into action to help our economy. During 'our crisis' of 2001, we were forsaken by the world. Now we're all suffering a crisis. Jeffrey also said Turkey has something of a cushion from the crisis due to its experience from the 2001 crisis, something he said no country, including the US, shares. It seems that if we can stop being so isolated, we can supply an important service for all of humanity by sharing our lessons from the past.