MILLIYET- Columnist Sami Kohen writes about changes that may or may not occur in Turkish foreign policy due to the recent change of ministers.
Newly appointed Foreign Minister Sukru Sina Gurel said on his first day in office that no matter who the foreign minister was, Turkish foreign policy would be carried out unchanged and in a consistent manner, and that the only changes would be in the details. This applies to all democracies, including Turkey. There has never been a significant change in Turkish foreign policy due to the appointment of a new minister and there’s no indication to suggest that such a change will occur under Gurel. Turkish foreign policy is based on fundamental principles that no minister can single-handedly change. Having said this, however, it is true that Gurel’s appointment as foreign minister was met with concern, especially abroad. This can be explained by the hard-line stance he had previously taken when state minister on issues ranging from Cyprus to the European Union. Naturally, it would be good if he tried to alter his image of being a bit of a ‘hawk.’ As Gurel said yesterday, the only difference that might occur would be in the details of how foreign policy is carried out. There might be a change in the flexible approach that his predecessor Ismail Cem used to have. Nevertheless it must not be forgotten that even while Cem was at the post, Turkey’s Cyprus policy, largely formulated by Ecevit, was not much different than previous policies on Cyprus. The ‘no-concession’ approach to the Cyprus issue is more or less the approach Gurel will take. The same thing can be said of Turkey’s EU policy. Of course the new minister wants Turkey to become a member of the EU, and there is no doubt that he will do all that he can to get a date for the start of accession negotiations. The key issue, however, is how he will go about doing this. Ecevit wants to pass the necessary legislation to fulfill the Copenhagen criteria. The Nationalist Action Party (MHP) has reservations on this matter. Judging by Gurel’s previous statements, it seems that he has similar worries. Now, however, he is the foreign minister and has the responsibility to work to get Turkey into the EU. There are also other critical matters, such as a possible US intervention in Iraq, that require fast decision-making on Turkey’s part. So the really important question for Gurel is whether the government is going to stay in power long enough for these decisions to be made.
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION