BY MELIHA OKUR
SABAH - Turkey will hold its local elections this weekend, so right now we're focused on the campaign. At such a time, President Abdullah Gul paid a one-day visit to Baghdad, the first such high-level visit in 33 years. His own visit was postponed for a year-and-a-half. Certain formalities are probably completed now, and Turkey and Iraq have made a mutual political breakthrough. Turkey will undertake a role in the reconstruction of Iraq! From what I understand, the Iraqi government requested it and then Turkey presented a plan to Baghdad on a new e-state initiative.
Gul's visit focused on three main issues: terrorism, Kirkuk, and boosting trade. Both Iraq, under the shadow of a $3 trillion war, and Turkey, hit by the global economic crisis, need new economic opportunities and revenue sources. After all, the world revolves around the economy, right? Turkey and Iraq put forth their economic interests and then a consensus emerged!
A new era is dawning. Turkey, which lacks capital, is now changing its ways and trying to close its capital deficit through an initiative focused on energy. It's showing a special interest in the issue and working hard. Up to now Turkey has always tried to close its capital deficit through 'hot' money, which is focused on finance capital. It invested most of that money that it got from abroad in oil and natural gas imports. That's why it's always suffered nightmares over the dollar. It also hasn't been able to shake off its current account deficit. If Turkey wants to become a regional leader, it has to solve these two problems.
First, it should reduce its dependence on convertible money as much as possible and work to create new energy channels. So if we analyze the relationship between Turkey and Iraq correctly, Turkey needs energy and Iraq needs to export more oil and natural gas for its growth. An atmosphere of trust should be fostered, and terrorism should be eradicated towards this end.
Is it easy to fight terrorism in this region? Brothers are shooting each other due to terrorism, and such blood feuds don't just end. Trust falls short in this region, which is defective in terms of democracy. Countries can't build trust. Gul's visit comes at a time when both he and his Iraqi counterpart Jalal Talabani are facing tests of confidence in the region. Why? Shiites and Sunnis have established a strong alliance in Iraq.
This alliance is controlling the system again, as the key player in the process which will start with the withdrawal of 140,000 American soldiers. Turkey and Iraq are mutually taking the test of finishing off terrorism completely. The northern Iraqi Kurdish federation is alone, and this signals that Talabani won't be nominated for another term as president. Probably a president of Arab origin might be preferred in Iraq's new era.