STAR- Columnist Zeynep Gurcanli writes on the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) summit to be held in Istanbul today. A summary of her column is as follows:
It seems as if both politics and the economy have come to a standstill due to Prime Minister Ecevit’s illness. However, this is no excuse for relations in foreign policy. We may accept the prime minister’s illness and expect him to withdraw, but no foreign country will wait for the prime minister to get well to continue their relations with Turkey. In foreign policy, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer is filling the gap due to Prime Minister Ecevit’s illness. Last week he first went to Iran and then attended the EU summit in Seville. Now, there is the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) summit. President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, who returned from Seville with good news on Turkey’s EU membership, will host the summit to be held in the Ciragan Palace, Istanbul today. The most important issue to be discussed during the summit is how to organize the relations between the BSEC and the EU. As opposed to the EU, the BSEC works as just an economic cooperation organization. It aims to increase cooperation opportunities among its members, instead of forming joint foreign and security policies. However, the organization also has an unofficial political aspect. BSEC Deputy Secretary-General Ambassador Tansug Bleda summarizes this unofficial political aspect by saying that an unoffical meeting is held before the beginning of the summit attended by only the ministers and their translators. At this meeting, the ministers have the opportunity to discuss any issue, be it political or economic. Therefore, although it is an economic organization, it giveb the opportunity to discuss political problems unofficially. Turkey, recently giving priority to good-neighbourly relations in its foreign policy, is preparing to take a new step availing itself of this opportunity. Launching a new initiative in Turkish-Armenian relations which are almost at a stop, is in question. This process, which can be defined as a historic step in Turkish-Armenian relations, should be considered as part of the recent developments in the Caucasus. Sept. 11 changed many balances in the Caucasus. This region, which was accepted as Russian’s region of interest, was also entered by the Americans following the Sept. 11 attacks. Washington has comprehended that in order for the campaign against terrorism to be successful, stability in the Caucasus is a must. Priority has been given to enhancing the pro-Western Shevardnadze regime. Then it was time to solve the Azerbaijani-Armenian dispute. On this issue, a distance which had proveed impassable over the last 10 years has been taken in just a few months. Both countries agreed to give a piece of land to each other, one that would connect Karabagh to Armenia, and the other connecting Nakhcevan to Azerbaijan. Following the progress seen in solving the Armenian-Azerbaijan dispute, eyes were turned to Turkey and Armenia. The first meeting between Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers was held in Rejkjavik, Iceland in December. The second one will be held in Istanbul as part of the BSEC summit. The symbolic summit organized on the 10th anniversary of the BSEC may see the start of a diplomatic reconciliation process between Turkey and Armenia. If one considers that Turkey is talking about a joint fight against terrorism with Greece and Syria both of whom it was at loggerheads with a few years ago, one cannot help but ask the question, ‘Why not with Armenia?’
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION