WASHINGTON D.C. - Washington Institute, a U.S. based think-tank held an assessment meeting about the elections in Turkey on Monday.
Addressing the meeting, the former U.S. ambassador to Turkey Mark Parris said that generally speaking the leaders of the parties which can't enter the parliament get the message given by the people.
Parris said that the elections in Turkey were not a referendum for the EU and this was seen by the fact that the parties which supported EU membership were left outside the parliament.
The result of the elections is not also related with Islam, said Parris asserting that even if AK Party is perceived as an ''Islamist'' party by the west, it is not considered as Islamist by Turkey. The result of the election reflected the reaction of citizens to the economic situation, Parris said.
Parris said that the charisma of AKP leadership also played an important role in the elections, adding that ''but the next prime minister is not yet known.''
Parris said that AK Party was looking at the world from a different perspective and added that despite AK Party's statements saying that there would not be any changes, the relations with Israel and the attitude on Chechnya could create problems.
Center of Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Turkey Project Director Bulent Aliriza said that AK Party's statement that it wanted to establish close relations with the United States is a ''tactic''.
Aliriza stated that AK Party needed support of both the United States and also the EU and defined the results of the elections as a ''political quake''.
He claimed that former State Minister Kemal Dervis caused a decrease in the votes of Republican People's Party (CHP).
Aliriza said that he did not find convincing the statements telling that AK Party changed and added that the party became moderate because it must be.
Washington Institute Turkey expert Soner Cagaptay said that the political geography has changed with the elections and added that AK Party won the elections with its moderate statements. He added that he considered all prime minister candidates as ''Islamist'' except Vecdi Gonul.