Ankara Makes Caucasus and Central Asia a Diplomatic Priority - Turkish President

Promoting peace and stability in the Caucasus and Central Asia is an "important item" on Turkey's foreign policy agenda, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said in an address in Washington, DC. Gul's visit to the United States was devoted largely to heralding the return of a solid US-Turkish strategic partnership.

Making his first trip to the United States as head of state, Gul, a former foreign minister, portrayed Turkey as a diplomatic trailblazer for the United States in several "hot spots." In a January 8 policy address given at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Gul emphasized that Turkey has maintained "good relations with most of our neighbors."

Gul compared the South Caucasus to the Middle East in terms of its "underlying instability." He maintained that Turkey "shares a similar vision with the United States" for the region, with Ankara aiming to help Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia make "their long walk towards a sound democracy." He also said Turkey was interested in promoting the "development of their fragile economies" and the "settlement of their ethnic and territorial disputes." [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

While acknowledging the lack of a "quick-fix solution" for regional problems, Gul offered that "establishing sound regional cooperation is a good point to start." He pointed to the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum natural gas pipeline, and the Baku-Tbilisi railway as vehicles for both the prosperity and stabilization of the Caspian Basin.

While such initiatives have helped Turkey solidify ties with Azerbaijan and Georgia, they have not helped Ankara normalize relations with Armenia. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Gul did not elaborate on any specific measures that could alleviate the persisting enmity in Turkish-Armenian relations, or promote lasting peace settlements in Nagorno-Karabkah, Abkhazia or South Ossetia.

Striving to further illustrate Turkey's regional security role, Gul cited Afghanistan, where "we have been projecting an active, positive contribution since the September 11 terrorist attacks." These contributions include twice commanding the International Security Assistance Force, providing substantial civil and humanitarian assistance, and helping revitalize Afghanistan's economy through the presence of large numbers of Turkish contractors.

Gul also mentioned that Turkey was using its "historically close relations" with Islamabad to promote security cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Last April, the Turkish government invited Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his Pakistani counterpart, Pervez Musharraf, to attend a summit in Ankara. At that meeting, they pledged to deny sanctuary, training and financing to Islamic militants and exchange intelligence on terrorist threats. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Gul went on to described Iran as representing "a complex picture in our region." While affirming that Turkey "actively supports a diplomatic settlement of the conflict about Iran's nuclear program," he cautioned that "we strongly oppose nuclear proliferation and nuclear weapons in our region."

In his joint press conference at the White House earlier on January 8, US President George W. Bush hailed Turkey a strategic partner of the United States, saying that Ankara and Washington in recent months "have worked hard to make [relations] strong." He stated that the two governments "deal with common problems," though the only issue Bush specifically cited was the "continuing fight against a common enemy, and that's terrorists."

Bush reaffirmed his administration's support for Turkey's entry into the European Union (EU), pointing out that "Turkey sets a fantastic example for nations around the world to see where it's possible to have a democracy coexist with a great religion like Islam." In addition, he argued that Turkey's accession to the EU would be "in the interest of peace" because Turkey could serve as "a constructive bridge" that brings Europe and the Islamic world closer together.

In describing his private discussions with the Turkish president, Bush revealed that the two touched on "the need for all of us to help secure more energy supplies." The US president also informed Gul about his upcoming Middle Eastern tour. It was the type of conversation, Bush said, that occurs "when two friends are in the room together."

During a subsequent teleconference, a "senior administration official" explained that the Turkish-American relationship qualified as a "strategic partnership" due to "the fact that we deal with a whole range of issues with Turkey, not just bilateral issues, but issues, security issues around the world." The official indicated the Bush and Gul exchanged ideas on an array of foreign-policy topics, including Kosovo, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Gul placed the bilateral relationship within a larger multinational context: "We share a common vision and we work together, and the relations between the two countries are such that they have an impact not only on the two countries, but also on a regional and global scale."