STAR- Columnist Semih Idiz writes on President Ahmet Necdet Sezer's visit to Iran. A summary of his column is as follows:
We were so involved with Turkey's EU membership bid that we forgot the surroundings of Turkey and the opportunities and problems which they present. Today, the area stretching from the Middle East to the Caucasus is an environment we cannot ignore. Developments in these regions influence Turkey in one way or other. Certainly if Turkey is one of the most important countries in the region, Iran is another. None of the countries which try to preserve the strategic balances and have political, economic and military plans towards the future can ignore the presence of Iran. Following the overthrow of the Shah, in 1979 important problems cropped up between Turkey and Iran. Some of them still exist today. It cannot be denied that that at the base of the problems between the two countries lies the fact that these two form an 'antithesis' of the other. Turkey's secular system and Iran's mullah regime based on religious laws cannot reach an agreement on an ideological platform. Finally, just as Ataturk's Turkey forms a threat for Khomeini's Iran, the Khomeini regime is a danger for our regime based on secular modern values. Therefore, it is clear that National Security Council (MGK) Secretary-General Gen. Tuncer Kilinc's argument putting forth Iran as an alternative to EU is not feasible. The difference in our regimes is not the only factor making this impossible. There are other important issues, namely the different points of view held by both countries towards the Middle East problem due to strategic calculations towards the Caucasus. However, these basic disagreements do not mean that these two countries cannot get on well by taking some basic principles into consideration, namely non-interference in each other's affairs. It is another fact that the region they are in is like a powder keg ready to explode at any moment, which forces them to get on well. In fact, the relations between Ankara and Tehran haven't come to a breaking point even at the most difficult of times. Relations were conducted at least at a minimum level at all times. Meanwhile the energy corridor project developed between Iran and the EU and expected to pass through Turkey is presenting a potential for cooperation. This kind of projects prove that they can play the role of a catalyst for the elimination of sources of tension. Countries which launch such great joint projects certainly avoid any approaches which could endanger their completion. On the other hand, we cannot ignore the important developments in Iran we must follow closely, albeit without interfering in their affairs. There is a dispute between reformist President Khatami and the conservative religious leader of the country Ayatollah Khameini. The most important point for us is the preventing an exporting the regime with the increasing strength of reformists. If the mullahs gain the upper hand, the issues of tension between the countries may flare up again. However, there are other important problems between the two states. Among them the support given to the PKK terrorist organization by the hardliner conservative mullahs can be cited. In fact, this issue has become a traditional topic in talks between the countries. Even if Ankara and Tehran are cooperating on this issue during the presidency of Mohammed Khatami, the presence of parties supporting the PKK in Iran cannot be ignored. When these problems and opportunities are taken into consideration, the significance of President Ahmet Necdet Sezer's visit to Tehran becomes apparent.
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION