AK Party Deputy Chairman of External Affairs and Chairman of the Turkish-British Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group Suat KINIKLIOGLU gave a speech about Turkish foreign policy at Chatham House in London on May 11, 2009.

He gave a wide summary of Turkey’s changing political, economic and regional position from the 1980s onwards and explained that Turkey entered a new integration process by which relations with its neighbors have been improved and diversified.

KINIKLIOGLU said that Turkey supports the current peace negotiations in Cyprus and added that this was the last chance for a negotiated settlement. In his presentation, which was attended by the United Kingdom’s former Special Envoy to Cyprus Sir David Hanney KINIKLIOGLU emphasized there would be no appatite for another UN round if the current talks fail. KINIKLIOGLU said that the international community and European countries should be more active towards encouraging the Greek Cypriots: “we have to spend more time and energy to convince the two sides to reach an agreement.”

MUSLIM WORLD’S EYES ON TURKEY

KINIKLIOGLU emphasized that Turkey’s regional relations have made the country a critical partner for the European Union. He added that Turkey is aware of its distinctive features, which makes the country quite attractive in the Muslim world.

KINIKLIOGLU said that many of the political parties in the Muslim world are trying to examine the structure of AK Party as an exemplary and the features making Turkey attractive can be listed as “being a part of the Western world, NATO membership, EU partnership, close relations and friendship with the US.”
In response to a question, KINIKLIOGLU pointed that the preservation of an attitude favoring Europe in Turkey has become harder with the interpretations of some European leaders.  KINIKLIOGLU gave French President Nicholas Sarkozy’s remarks on Turkey as an example and warned about the wrong impact created in Turkish society with his statements.  KINIKLIOGLU pointed to the fact that Turkey cannot change its identity and emphasized that ''moreover, it is our very identity that will strengthen the European Union as a global actor”. KINIKLIOGLU mentioned that full accession to the EU is a primary priority of the AK Party’s foreign policy agenda and criticized the attitude of Greek Cypriots, hindering the continuation of the negotiations with the new chapters and even creating obstacles in chapters such as energy.

KINIKLIOGLU also stressed the strong support of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN to Turkish Cypriot President Mehmet Ali Talat in the ongoing negotiations under the UN umbrella.

TURKEY – US RELATIONS AND OBAMA’S DISTINCT APPROACH

KINIKLIOGLU noted that US-Turkey relations have seen a positive change with the new US administration in office. KINIKLIOGLU said that Turkey is no longer a satellite country of the Cold War years and underlined that Turkey is a strong democracy with extensive influence in the region. He said that the Bush administration failed to understand the value of the relations of Turkey, ie. opposing Turkish ties with Syria. KINIKLIOGLU appreciated Barack Obama’s new approach and stressed that ‘‘the Obama administration understands the sensitivities of the region better and gives more importance to diplomacy''.

DEMOCRACY TEST

Upon a question about the relations of AK Party with the Turkish military, KINIKLIOGLU said that large demonstrations were held in Turkey in 2007 and the General Staff disseminated an “e-memorandum” and there was a lawsuit against the AK Party all reminding us of the delicate test of democracy in Turkey. “Turkey was very successful in that test of democracy and was even strengthened with the process'' KINIKLIOGLU noted.  KINIKLIOGLU reminded the audience that there were individuals in Turkey who “invited” the Army to act. KINIKLIOGLU said that everyone has to abide by democratic standards in this respect and warned that what happened to the AK Party today might happen to others tomorrow. We all must respect the will of the people. KINIKLIOGLU also noted the harmonious relationship between the Prime Minister, government and the current General Staff. He added that everyone has derived lessons from the experiences of 2007 and said that “The Turkey of 2009 is definitely stronger and consolidated than the Turkey of 2007''.