US-TURKEY POLICY PLANNING TALKS IDENTIFY COMMON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 000982 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT ALSO FOR EUR/SE E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/25/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV TU SUBJECT: US-TURKEY POLICY PLANNING TALKS IDENTIFY COMMON INTERESTS ANKARA 00000982 001.2 OF 003 Classified By: POL Counselor Daniel O'Grady for reasons 1.4 (b,d) ¶1. (C) Summary: S/P Director Anne-Marie Slaughter, S/P Senior Staff Dean Pittman, and Ambassador Jeffrey held informal policy planning talks with MFA Director General of Policy Planning Ambassador Dicle Kopuz, Deputy Director General Ahmet Oktay, Strategic Planning Department Head Burak Akcapar, and other MFA officials, June 23. The delegations discussed global governance, transnational issues, and regional dynamics. Both sides agreed on the need to reinvigorate existing multilateral organizations to include more actors and increased intra-institutional cooperation through the creation of networks. Kopuz highlighted Turkey's leadership role in many groups such as the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC) and Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA),which bring together a diverse grouping of regional actors including Iran, Israel, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Turkish side encouraged increased engagement with Moscow, noting consultation is a good modifier of Russian behavior. On Afghanistan and Pakistan (AF-PAK),the two sides discussed Turkey's soft power in the region, most notably through education projects. In a broader discussion of Central Asia, Slaughter and Kopuz concurred that greater U.S., EU, and Turkish synergy should be pursued. However, Kopuz noted that previous EU efforts to engage the Caucasus had failed. The delegations agreed on the importance of enhanced cooperation in the Balkans, focusing more broadly than just Kosovo. End Summary. ¶2. (C) S/P Director Slaughter welcomed an open discussion with her MFA Policy Planning Department colleagues, led by Director General Dicle Kopuz, on global governance, transnational issues, and regional dynamics. She underscored the importance of addressing global issues multilaterally, noting this can often be best achieved by improving existing institutions, not creating new ones. Today's multilateral organizations must be reformed, and need to work with a diversity of actors through the creation of networks of institutions and informal groupings, she said. Turkey, for example, is connected by geography and history to many issues and has the potential to contribute to resolving problems in many related areas. The nations around the table should be those with the willingness and wherewithal to take responsibility on a given issue. ¶3. (C) Kopuz agreed, adding that Ankara actively supports such efforts as UN and UNSC reform. She also emphasized Turkey's desire to remain in any revamp of the G-8/G-20 system, whether it becomes a G-13, G-15, or any other configuration. Kopuz provided a brief overview of Turkey's dynamic foreign policy, driven by enhanced regional engagement. Greek-Turkish relations have entered a new era as have ties with Bulgaria, Russia, the Caucasus, Iran, and the Middle East. Turkey has been a primary organizer of, and strongly supports the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC),which brings together Azerbaijan and Armenia, the Iraq Neighbors Process, and the Caucasus Stability and Cooperation Platform, all of which are driven by Turkey's policy of using multilateral frameworks to help them help others. Another example is the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), for which Turkey will assume the presidency in 2010. Beyond Central Asian actors, CICA members include Israel, Iran, China, and Russia. Akcapar commented that many counties are willing to contribute to global actions, but have no outlet. Kopuz added that the MFA has conducted bilateral strategic dialogue talks with Japan, Canada, Germany, and the Czech Republic. She agreed that these multilateral groupings serve in many ways as confidence building measures and an opportunity for countries who may disagree on many issues to cooperate in areas where they have mutual interests. -------------- Russia -------------- ¶4. (C) Kopuz commented that Turkey and Russia have a sound relationship. Russia has an interest in global governance and it would benefit all actors to keep Moscow in the system. She emphasized the need to create a cooperative environment with Russia, noting that Moscow likes to be seen as important and consulted accordingly. "They want a place at the table." The Russians will always want to create new institutions, according to Kopuz. The question is how to keep them in and engaged while drawing lines to ensure they know they cannot get their way on everything. In the words of one Turkish policy planner, "the key to Russia is constantly to send messages to the Russians that they are important while saying no." Almost all common issues with Russia are red lines for both governments: Kosovo, energy, Georgia, and the Caucasus. ANKARA 00000982 002.2 OF 003 Kopuz noted that the CFE treaty, especially the flank regime, is very important for the GOT. Oktay agreed that Turkey's relations with Russia will depend greatly on the outcome of the disarmament negotiations. ¶5. (C) Echoing Kopuz, he highlighted that Russia wants to be viewed as a great power; proving Moscow with adequate respect will go a long way toward getting the desired response. S/P Slaughter agreed, noting that the U.S. wants to reassure Russia that we recognize the need for Moscow to play a productive, positive role in global issues. She pointed to the trilateral EU-RU-U.S. policy planning talks she had just conducted in Brussels, saying that we are open to improving existing mechanisms/institutions to facilitate our communication and interaction with Moscow and nothing that a number of Russia's concerns are understandable. Kopuz commented that Turkey sees the new U.S. approach on Russia as "on the right track." -------------- AF-PAK -------------- ¶6. (C) Noting Turkey's ability to wield soft power in Pakistan, Slaughter inquired as to how Islamabad could be brought into a new regional configuration as a responsible member. Kopuz responded that Pakistan was once nominally part of the western security framework and appreciated the interaction it enjoyed with the U.S. and other NATO members during the Cold War. That should be revived to the degree possible. In addition to engagement, the U.S., Turkey, and others need a much more effective public diplomacy strategy to win over Pakistanis. Islamabad also has a urgent need for foreign assistance. Oktay highlighted Turkey's AF-PAK efforts (while highlighting that the Pakistanis really don't like the use of that term) including opening girls schools and Imam training programs in Afghanistan. Akcapar added that Turkey could play a large role in assisting with additional education programs and emphasized the need for centralized education similar to Turkey's system in order to combat the corrosive power of the madrassas and the fragmentation in Pakistan's educational system on the social fabric of modern Pakistan. Kopuz pointed to the need for India-Pakistan talks to resume as soon as possible. -------------- Central Asia -------------- ¶7. (C) Kopuz reported that Russia and China both believe themselves to have a key role in Central Asia. Akcapar elaborated that Ankara closely monitors the areas as the GOT considers Central Asia as its geographic, and ethnic, backyard. Furthermore, increased Chinese and Indian competition in the Indian Ocean will directly impact Turkey. The relatively recent phenomenon of energy resources beginning to flow eastward from Cental Asia is troubling for Ankara, potentially effecting Turkey's aspirations to become an energy hub. A big question for Turkey is how to counter Chinese influence in Central Asia and better integrate the Cental Asian republics into Euro-Atlantic institutions. Kopuz commented that Turkey's presence in Central Asia, especially in Afghanistan and Pakistan, is more accepted that that of other Western countries due to a shared culture. For example, Turkey participated in the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic Speakers. Slaughter raised the possibility of trilateral policy planning talks on Central Asia, involving the U.S., Turkey, and the EU, in which Kopuz expressed interest, though added that such an initiative might invite a Russian backlash if it is not included. -------------- Balkans -------------- ¶8. (C) Balkans is an important region for Turkey, explained Kopuz. It has been a "physical way of connecting Turkey to the West" and must remain that in the political and economic sense. Noting that all the nations in the region feel tied together, Kopuz admitted that Turkey's efforts to enhance its strategic cooperation individually with Macedonia was "not clever." Although Serbia is the defacto leader of the Balkans, the focus is almost exclusively on Kosovo. To broaden that perspective, Kopuz advocated for a U.S. special representative to the Balkans. Slaughter pointed to Vice President Biden's recent visit to the region as an example of the Obama Administration's recognition that the Balkans as a whole needed greater high-level attention. Pittman said the USG's motivating force had been integrating the Balkans into Europe. Our mistake in recent years perhaps was relying too heavily on Europe to achieve that; a US leadership role is needed. On Serbia, Pittman continued that there was a renewed focus within the USG, adding that any approach to the ANKARA 00000982 003.2 OF 003 regional as a whole would require an economic component. Oktay agreed, highlighting the lack of investment as one of the most important issues. Kopuz noted the U.S.-initiated Adriatic Charter program was very successful and could possibly be duplicated elsewhere in the region. Ambassador Jeffrey underscored that Turkey plays, and can play a still greater, leadership role in the Balkans. ¶9. (U) S/P Director Slaughter has cleared this cable. 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