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

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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.

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Russia
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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.

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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."

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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.

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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.

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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

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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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JEFFREY