Consul General Deborah Jones' Speech on U.S.-Turkish Relations
Robert College Businessmen's Association
Movenpick Hotel May 23, 2006
Distinguished Members of the Board and Robert College graduates:
It is a great pleasure to be here with you today to share some thoughts on the U.S.-Turkish relationship. Over my nine months in Turkey, I’ve had the opportunity to discuss this topic with many of you informally, but I welcome the opportunity to address it in a more structured manner, and to review what we’ve been through in recent years and where the relationship stands today.
Before doing that, however, I want to pay tribute to what you and Robert College represent. All of us working here in the diplomatic field recognize that our work is only one element of the much broader relationship that exists between countries. Another perhaps even more critical element is the network of cultural and educational ties that transcend borders and provide points of reference and commonality for people from very different backgrounds. Of course, when you consider the web of ties between Turkey and the United States, Robert College occupies pride of place. As the oldest American institution of higher education outside of the United States, the College since its founding in 1863 has been a tangible symbol of the interchange between Turkey and the United States. When meeting Robert College graduates, I have always been impressed with their display of the critical thinking that is the ongoing legacy of the College and, I believe, such a critical component of successful democratic societies.
In the context of legacy, I can’t resist the opportunity to put in a plug for the upcoming Conference on the History of U.S.-Turkish Relations that we are organizing in conjunction with Bogazici University in Istanbul and Harran University in Sanliurfa. That conference in early June will offer an opportunity to put the events of recent years in context by considering more broadly Ottoman/Turkish relations with the United States from 1833 to 1989. So I hope you will be able to join us for that event.
Where does our relationship stand now? I think the best answer to that was provided by Secretary Rice who has characterized Turkey as a “strategic partner of extreme importance” and “a great ally and a great friend.” During her recent visit to Ankara, in fact, the Secretary said “We have had no better ally” than Turkey in terms of our efforts to see a democratic Middle East. Now I am aware that any such statement can engender smiles and skepticism from those who believe that events of recent years are evidence to the contrary. Indeed, I was struck by the fact that Foreign Minister Gul’s recent comments in an interview with “Takvim” newspaper, which largely tracked with the Secretary’s own characterization of the relationship, brought public disagreement from a number of parliamentarians of his own party, including the Chairman of the Turkish Parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee.
What I would argue to you, however, is that these critics are missing the point. Turkey and the United States do have a strong and broad-based relationship, which is important to both countries. That does not mean, of course, that we will agree on every topic, or that we will not experience difficulties from time to time even on important issues. But it does mean that we agree much more often than we disagree, and at base we share important and fundamental values, so that on most questions our interests and our views will largely track with one another.
Admittedly, this fact has been obscured in recent years by differences over Iraq, and by the Turkish public’s rather marked reaction to American actions there. But we have moved beyond those difficulties, into what the Ambassador recently characterized as a positive “rebuilding phase.” As he told the Turkish-American Business Association here in Istanbul last month, “good bilateral dialogue has been restored over the last year, after several years in which there was not enough conversation between [our] political leaders.” Indeed, if you look at the tempo of visits in recent months, you see that it has picked up dramatically, and that we are not just working on the broader strategic vision of our relations, but on nuts and bolts issues as well. The establishment of a formal “strategic dialogue” during the Secretary Rice’s recent visit will enhance our ability to coordinate and further our common vision.
What then is at the root of the “strategic partnership” between the United States and Turkey? In the most basic terms, I think it’s fair to say that while Turkey used to matter because of where it is, it now also matters because of what it is. Turkey’s geopolitical has always been important, although of course for Turks that can appear to be a mixed blessing; but its status as a secular, democratic country with a majority Muslim population, as well as a dynamic, modern free market economy, makes it a critical anchor for the entire region. As such, it is the key partner for the United States in promoting peace, prosperity, and freedom throughout the often troubled regions that surround it, whether in the Caucasus, the Balkans, or the Broader Middle East and North Africa.
Our key interest in Turkey has thus always been that Turkey be successful, for an increasingly strong and vibrant Turkey will be even better able to fill this anchoring role, and will be an ever better partner for the United States. We have thus strongly supported Turkey’s own efforts to further liberalize its social, political and economic institutions, and its aspirations to join the European Union. Such efforts are not at cross purposes with the broader relationship we seek, but are important complements to it.
Our partnership of course cuts across the whole gamut of issues that exist in the world today, but I would like to focus briefly on just a few of them, before opening the floor to questions. One key area of cooperation is that of supporting a positive outcome in Iraq. As Iraq’s only democratic neighbor, Turkey can make a unique contribution to ensuring peace, freedom, and stability there. We’ve moved well beyond our disagreements of several years ago, and are deeply appreciative of the contributions Turkey has made, as when it facilitated discussions in Istanbul between our Baghdad Ambassador and Iraqi Sunni Arabs in the run-up to Iraq’s parliamentary elections last year, and as is reflected in the varied economic activities of Turkish companies, who play a key role, at no small risk to life and limb, in bringing supplies to Iraq and in contributing to its reconstruction.
Another issue that overlaps with that of Iraq is that of our cooperation in combating terrorism. And to be frank, this is an area where many Turks express deep disappointment to me about our inability to take action in Northern Iraq to address the problem. I want to stress that we deeply sympathize with and understand the frustration that Turkish citizens feel about PKK violence, as well as their dissatisfaction that we have not been able to do more to combat it. But I think it would be a mistake to minimize our ongoing cooperation with Turkey to address this critical issue, for there are important activities going on that we should not lose sight of. The recent inauguration of a national unity government in Iraq represents the hopes of all Sunni, Shi’a and Kurdish Iraqis who want to live in a unified, peaceful and prosperous Iraq. It is exactly this sort of Iraq that will be Turkey’s key partner in the fight against terrorism. Our success in supporting this government is critical not just to Iraq’s future but to Turkey’s interests, including with regard to the PKK, for if Iraq spirals out of control, it will remain a critical destabilizing element.
Additional parts of our strategy include our work with Turkey to help in shutting down the financial support that flows to the PKK from its supporters in Europe. At the same time, we’ve provided extensive anti-terrorism training here in Turkey, together with expanded exchange of information to help Turkish authorities better identify, counter, and eliminate terrorist threats. I can assure you, as the Ambassador wrote recently in “Milliyet” newspaper, that Turkey has no firmer or stronger partner than the United States in its fight against the PKK, and we will continue to work to reinforce our cooperation on this critical issue.
Another area where we have cooperated extensively is that of encouraging democracy in the Broader Middle East and North Africa Region. Turkey has played an important role, with Italy, in leading the Democracy subgroup of that initiative, and we are deeply grateful to it for doing so.
I think these activities highlight the fact that the United States and Turkey’s views do not diverge on most issues, but rather converge, so that how we see developments in this part of the world, and what we want to see happen in this part of world are in close alignment. This reflects our shared belief in democracy, respect for human rights, rule of law, market and open economics, and the spread of peace and stability through the region. There is of course much work to do to advance these interests, and new issues keep rearing their heads, as with Iran’s continued defiance of the international community with its illegal uranium enrichment program. I’m aware too that we have a continuing public relations challenge to get the word out about what we are trying to do, and to counter the misperceptions that sometimes gain too wide a credence. But I think our relationship is broadly on track, and we look forward to continuing to deepen and strengthen it, to ensure we overcome the mutual suspicion and recrimination that played too prominent a role in the recent past.
I’d like to stop there, however, and open the floor to you to have the chance to hear what interests you and concerns you about the bilateral relationship. As I said at the outset, Robert College has been an important envoy to Turkey, in varied guises, through its long existence, and you as well have been important unofficial Ambassadors, so I would welcome the chance to learn from your insights.
Thank you very much.
