TURKEY'S FOREIGN MINISTER OUTLINES POLICY FOR AKP

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISTANBUL 000046

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/19/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY'S FOREIGN MINISTER OUTLINES POLICY FOR AKP
FAITHFUL


Classified By: Consul General Deborah K. Jones for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).


1. (C) Summary. Several thousand Istanbul Justice and
Development Party (AKP) precinct captains and party faithful
jammed an auditorium January 13 to hear Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul acclaim Turkey's foreign policy achievements and
goals as the party continues its campaign to energize its
cohort of election workers in advance of national elections
later this year. Pointing to its diplomacy on Cyprus and
with the EU, the Foreign Minister characterized Turkey as
"powerful" on the world scene, in contrast to its
international role prior to 2003. Work in Iraq is just
beginning, he added; a "big fire there would engulf us all."
While working to bring peace and better conditions to all
Iraqis, the Turkoman minority will continue to get special
attention from Ankara. Notable was the cursory mention of
the U.S. in contrast to a clear focus on Turkey's neighbors.
This appears to have been the rehearsal for the impassioned
defense of the Justice and Development Party (AKP)
government's foreign policy that Gul delivered to parliament
January 18. End summary.


2. (C) We observed one of three AKP rallies held for
Istanbul party workers on January 13. Ministers of State Ali
Babacan and Kursat Tuzmen spoke at separate locations; we
attended the gathering where an overflow crowd of AKP
faithful - middle income couples as well as youth, with
virtually all women wearing headscarves and most also wearing
"modest" overcoats - sat on steps to hear Foreign Minister
Gul. In contrast, Aysegul Topal and Canan Kalsin, Istanbul
AKP women's chair and foreign policy chair, respectively,
appeared on the stage with no head covering. The
introduction of the Foreign Minister brought people to their
feet with thunderous applause, with some rushing forward to
get as close to this party luminary as possible.
Acknowledging party workers had a tough sell in explaining
Turkey's foreign policy to the electorate, he nevertheless
trumpeted the AK Party's foreign policy achievements.


3. (C) Gul proclaimed Turkey a "powerful" nation with an
image in the world vastly superior to even the recent past.
As evidence, he pointed to Turkey's huge growth in exports, a
reformist government that international media no longer wrote
off, and a market-place keenly attractive to international
investors. Turkey was becoming "important" in its own right,
no longer dependent on some other power to attract attention
or to wield influence. The Foreign Minister mentioned
official visits to or from foreign leaders associated with
Australia, Brazil, the U.S., Sudan, Italy (Prodi, not the
Pope) and Saudi Arabia. He emphasized that the list included
both western and "Islamic" countries, a subtle contrast to
the efforts of the Republic since its founding to pursue the
west with AKP's emphasis on immediate neighbors and majority
Muslim countries without alienating the west.


4. (SBU) Gul noted that AK Party workers could proudly tell
their neighbors that while Turkey used to ask for foreign
assistance and support, it is now a donor country engaged in
assistance programs throughout the world, including in
Indonesia and Africa, through the Turkish Cooperation and
Development Agency (TIKA). (TIKA chair Hakan Fidan told the
New Anatolian in April 2006, Turkey is now a net donor
country with over USD 340 million in annual projects going
into technical and development assistance in countries from
Bosnia to Tajikistan.) Turkey's foreign relations are
pro-active; the U.S. and EU are not competing alternatives to
one another, Gul said; rather, these elements of Turkey's
foreign policy "come together." But he declared Turkey's
most important relations were now with "our neighbors."
These neighbors were "not chosen" but good relations with
them were better than tension and Turkey would not
"differentiate" among them; trade is critical and no neighbor
can be neglected. Turkey is like a second home now to these
friends. Previous governments had relied on the U.S. and
Canada to increase trade but today, Gul asserted,
strengthened ties with immediate neighbors was key to
unlocking huge commercial growth for Turkey.


5. (SBU) In explaining the EU accession situation, Gul
implicitly criticized previous governments for missing
earlier opportunities. Even though Turkey was now down to
"the last wagon on the train," in Gul's words, accession
remained important because the EU represents a huge market.
Turkey was working hard to improve standards, avoid the
mistakes of the past and "fulfill its responsibilities."
Coming to Cyprus, Gul -- without explicitly saying so --
pointed to the end of Turkey's political isolation on the
issue. The Prime Minister had met many times with
counterparts on the issue, an American congressional

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delegation had flown into Ercan airport in Turkish Northern
Cyprus, and now Turkey was calling for and even demanding
recognition of Northern Cyprus. There were about 100
outstanding legal challenges to Turkey before the European
Court of Human Rights (ECHR) but Turkey was investigating how
it could steal a march on the human rights community and
successfully bring suit before the court with respect to
claims in Cyprus.


6. (SBU) The Foreign Minister made the most critical topic
his last and a hush fell over the crowd as he discussed Iraq.
The country was important for the entire region and a "big
fire there would burn us all." Iraq and the people of Iraq
could be rich by virtue of oil wealth but a wrongful dictator
had brought the country low. Turkey would do its best to
resolve a conflict where people were again dying after the
million deaths in the Iran-Iraq war. Tools in the battle to
right the wrongs in Iraq included fair distribution of petro
dollars and a (political) agreement, without which "the fire
would spread." Emphasizing that Turkey wanted all Iraqis
"happy," Turkey had a special duty to protect the rights of
the Turkoman. The Foreign Minister made no mention
whatsoever of the U.S. with respect to Iraq.


7. (SBU) The world situation would be better, Gul concluded,
when the Israeli/Palestinian issue was settled. All had to
work for friendship between these two peoples and once again,
he said, there was movement toward improving the situation.
Similarly, the Sunni/Shia divide is dangerous so Prime
Minister Erdogan is actively working with all the countries
involved to find a solution.


8. (C) Comment. Foreign Minister Gul expertly outlined the
AKP,s take on Turkey's foreign relations. While not
explicitly saying so, each of Gul's points served to
underline a definite shift in the Republic's approach to
relations with the world. Whether or not one argues the
presentation was crafted to appeal to the headscarved and
conservative faithful in the room, it was a coherent
presentation of the priorities in Turkey's foreign policy --
with barely a whisper of the United States, even as the
policy goals were consistent with our own, suggesting the
"special relationship" may be losing currency on the Turkish
side of the Atlantic, at least in an election year. It was
also a useful rehearsal for Gul's impassioned defense of the
AKP foreign policy,delivered extemporaneously to parliament
January 18, to fend off a censure motion. End comment.
JONES