Misreading Turkey

Mr. Cagaptay’s piece contained grossly misleading information purporting to be evidence of Turkey’s turning its back on the West.

Since 2002, the AK Party has pursued a vigorous regional policy that aims to correct an anomaly of the Cold War era. Turkey strives to reintegrate itself into the Balkans, the Black Sea, the Caucasus, the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean. Far from being a choice, this is a necessity because of our geography. Our outreach to our neighbors is not done at the expense of our relationship with the West. On the contrary, it is complimentary to it. Interpreting our regional policy as a shift in our orientation misses the sophistication behind our efforts to stabilize a troubled neighborhood. Mr. Cagaptay’s piece, unfortunately, smells of ill-intent or is simply another sample of his poor analysis of Turkey.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has underlined on a number of occasions that he criticizes Israel’s policies in Gaza, not Israelis or Jews per se. Indeed, he has said that anti-Semitism is a crime against humanity. Despite Turkey’s objections to the war in Gaza, Turkey values its partnership with Israel and intends to maintain this special relationship, which has benefited our nations for decades.

SUAT KINIKLIOGLU
AK Party Deputy Chairman
for External Affairs
Spokesman of the Foreign Affairs Committee
in the Turkish Parliament
Ankara, Turkey

Source:  www.washingtonpost.com, February 5, 2009