In the wake of major developments, which followed the arrival of Ahmet Davutoğlu head of Turkish diplomacy in 2009, the year 2010 has enabled Turkey to assert with shine the autonomy of its foreign policy and its desire to shine on the international scene, well beyond its regional area.
This ambition was expressed several times dramatically, on major issues that Turkey has not hesitated to stand out from the position of its Western allies, or even their outright cope. We believe the Iranian nuclear issue, which saw Ankara, first, to sign on May 17, with Brazil and Iran, a tripartite agreement (photo), presented as an alternative to the sanctions proposed by the major powers of On the other hand, refuse to vote, June 9, sanctions, at a memorable meeting in the Security Council of the United Nations. We can say that these two dates have opened a new period in Turkish-American relations. Without break its alliances and challenge particularly its commitment to NATO, Turkey has clearly expressed its willingness to now have flexibility with respect to positions taken by Washington on major international issues. This line was again manifested in the preparation and holding of the NATO summit in Lisbon in December. After many reservations in respect of extending the U.S. missile shield, a project to prevent the risk posed by the proliferation of ballistic missiles in the Asian neighborhood of Europe, Ankara has demanded and obtained that NATO does not recognize this threat, naming Iran.
that idea of emancipation Turkish diplomatic now seriously worried U.S. officials, so that the government of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's hurry during the year a delegation of parliamentarians in the United States, to reassure its allies about his intentions. In a speech to the Brookings Institution (one of the oldest think tanks), May 27, 2010, Hillary Clinton bluntly expressed his disagreement with the Turkish-Brazilian strategy on the record Iran. And observers were struck by the character "freezing" of the meeting held in Toronto, on the sidelines of the G20, June 26, 2010, between U.S. President and the Prime Minister of Turkey.
must say that the months of May and June 2010 have also resulted in an unprecedented deterioration in Turkish-Israeli relations. Already battered by the operation "hard lead" in Gaza and the famous "one minute" in Davos in 2009, these relations have curly break in 2010, following the emotion caused by the death of 9 Turkish humanitarian activists at During the arrest of the flagship of the fleet "Free Palestine" by Israeli naval commandos. Having sought and obtained United Nations the establishment of an international commission of inquiry that condemned violence by Israeli interception occurred in international waters, Ankara has asked the Jewish state apology and compensation victims. Two semi-official meetings were held in June and December, to try to restore the course of relations between the two countries, but they have not produced any concrete result. This situation has not caused the interruption of economic and technical between Ankara and Tel Aviv. Israel has continued its arms deliveries to Turkey, especially those drones "Heron."
The turn taken by the Turkish-Israeli confrontation during the year 2010 has enhanced the prestige of Turkey in the Arab-Muslim world. Significantly, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ceased to be awarded in the Arab world during the past year: the price of King Faisal in Saudi Arabia, Price of the Union of Arab Banks in Lebanon, Qaddafi Prize in Libya, designation as "Person of the Year" by NCC Arab in Dubai ... This allowed Ankara to continue its policy of "zero problems with our neighbors." With Syria, Turkey has further deepened in the political, economic or military relations densely developed over the last three years. She continued this bi-lateral cooperation in the region through a project, the bigger picture involving not only Syria but also Lebanon and Jordan to establish a free trade inspired by the European experience in this field. During the Turkish-Arab Forum, June 10, in Istanbul, the Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoğlu, moreover, pleaded for the creation of a Union Middle East stretching from east to west, from Kars in Morocco, and from north to south, from the Bosphorus to the Gulf of Aden. For now, a defense agreement was signed with Saudi Arabia in May, a free trade agreement is under discussion with the Gulf Cooperation Council since the fall, and a partnership agreement strategy is underway with Egypt.
Faced with the growing power of Iran in the Middle East, he is sure that the radiation Turkey's diplomatic power reassures Sunni Arab world, but it could also interfere Ankara identity and strategic conflicts that are played in the region. Thus, the Turkish economic projects in the Arab-Muslim world that we mentioned previously noticed or visit Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Lebanon in November, were perceived as attempts to counter the development of the influence of Shiite Iran Middle East. Tehran has expressed several times, signs of irritation against a country that is the hero of the Palestinian cause against Israel, while remaining in NATO, and continuing to present itself as an ally of USA. Is also observed that despite his opposition to the U.S. strategy on Iran's nuclear issue, Turkey enforces economic sanctions against Tehran, and it has repeatedly in the past two years to advance its own nuclear program Civil, its energy minister recently saying that the ultimate objective of his country, in this case, it was able to build himself his own power.
In Iraq, too, the strategy of Turkey has been perceived as Sunni. Its many initiatives to bring the different communities to form a national unity government after the last general election, were they an attempt to put an end to the leadership of Nuri al-Maliki on Iraqi executive? Still, the involvement of Turkey in the internal affairs of that country is also its importance as regards the Kurdish question. In 2010, the contacts maintained by Ankara with the Kurdish government in northern Iraq have further developed. While Turkey opened a consulate in Erbil in February and several ministers visited Turkey during the year in the northern Iraqi Kurdish capital, President Massoud Barzani has made an official visit to Turkey, in June last. While reaffirming the right to self-determination of the Kurdish people, it has repeatedly provided support for policy initiatives of the Turkish government in the south-east, and we observe that the AKP was represented at the congress of KDP December 2010.
Not only in the vicinity of Arab-Muslim Turkey has conducted an active diplomacy, during the year 2010. Its relations with its big neighbor Russia have in fact continued to prosper, because he had traveled to Russia earlier this year, Turkish Prime Minister welcomed his counterpart Vladimir Putin in January, and President Dmitry Medvedev in May. Russo-Turkish relationship is more strategic for its first concrete energy cooperation. Russia will build the first nuclear Turkish Akkuyu (Adana), and it remains in the running to build the second at Sinop. After technical and legal difficulties, his involvement in the project pipeline Samsun-Ceyhan pipeline has been confirmed. This year, both countries have also removed their mutual visa, and Turkey has removed Russia (as indeed Iran and Greece) from the list of countries constituting a threat to it in its national strategic policy document. This fruitful cooperation has yet failed to break the deadlock with another neighboring country of Armenia. The ratification of the Protocols, signed in October 2009 in Zurich, to normalize relations between the two countries has not occurred in 2010, and does not seem imminent. A hint, Ankara has repeatedly expressed its disappointment at the low intensity of efforts to pressure Moscow to Yerevan this regard. In any event, the conflict situation continues in the Caucasus seems to agree Russia, which aims to retain a say on this important region.
Beyond these neighborly relations, the year 2010 was marked by the growing global reach of Turkish diplomacy. If it has a foothold in South America at the summit of the Alliance of Civilizations in Brazil, in June and despite the cancellation of a visit by Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Argentina, she was also again very active in Africa with the travel of President Abdullah Gul, Congo and Cameroon, in March. But it's especially towards China that Turkey has made a special effort this year to erase the memory of bitter exchanges between the two countries that had caused repression of Uighurs in July 2009. The visit of Chinese Prime Minister to Turkey in October, and that the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs in Beijing in November, seem to have given to cooperation between Turkey and China a truly strategic turn. The two countries, which recorded the strongest growth rate in the world during the second half of 2010, planned to bring their trade to $ 100 billion by 2020. They should also cooperate more closely within the G20. Chinese interested also very close to the proposed third bridge over the Bosphorus which tenders should be launched next February. A Year of China in Turkey is planned in 2012 and a year from Turkey to China in 2013. Following his visit to China, Ahmet Davutoglu did not hesitate to declare that a "new paradigm Turkish-Chinese" was born. These multiple openings
international and intensity have not failed to revive the time, during 2010, the debate on a possible change of axis of foreign policy Turkey and the compatibility of Ankara's candidacy to the EU with such guidance. But that is another story, which will shortly be a third report, focusing on Turkey's European policy. Do not miss it!
JM
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