A long to-do list awaits diplomacy’s new chief
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Serkan Demirtaş
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mayıs 04, 2009 00:00
ANKARA - With a Cabinet reshuffle whose new headline talent is "Strategic Depth" with author Ahmet Davutoğlu for foreign minister, Prime Minister Erdoğan signals a search for an expanded role for Turkey in the wider region. Yet a long list of challenges awaits Davutoğlu abroad and at home.
Comfortable as a behind-the-scenes figure of Turkish foreign policy, Ahmet Davutoğlu will surely need some time to adapt to his new position, which will require a lot of protocol, meeting with press and handling practical problems his ministry faces.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s chief foreign policy adviser, Professor Davutoğlu, was appointed foreign minister late Friday as part of a large Cabinet reshuffle. Despite pressure by Erdoğan, Davutoğlu had always veered away from work in Parliament or the Cabinet as he wanted to return to academia. Author of "Strategic Depth," Davutoğlu was known as the architect of Turkey’s current foreign policy, aiming at making Turkey "a regional and global actor."
Davutoğlu to both Gül and Erdoğan
When Abdullah Gül was elected president in 2002, Davutoğlu became the chief adviser of the Prime Ministry. He has maintained his post during Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s term, thus known for his close ties with both leaders.
He has represented Turkey in many international platforms and took active roles during the European Union talks, Cyprus negotiations and Iraq war. Davutoğlu, who accompanied Gül on his historic visit to Yerevan in September, was also in the forefront of a recent government initiative to normalize relations with Armenia.
Davutoğlu came under the spotlight after his secret meeting with Hamas leader Halid Meşal in the winter of 2006. Since then he has gained a reputation for being the upper hand in shaping Turkey’s foreign policy, and is often depicted as the "Shadow Man" or the "Kissenger of Turkish diplomacy" by experts.
"Turkey is no longer a country that only reacts to crises, but notices the crises before they emerge and intervenes in the crises effectively and gives shape to the order of its surrounding region," Davutoğlu told reporters Saturday during the handover ceremony.
With a stronger foreign policy vision toward the Middle East, Balkans and Caucasus, Turkey will surely expand its role in this mentioned geography, he said.
He underlined that the country’s fundamental foreign policy principle of Western orientation will remain the same and that Turkey will continue its efforts to become a part of the EU.
His appointment has also been welcomed by many diplomats of the Foreign Ministry. "His appointment is a good one. He has a strategic view and is a theoretician. He knows the presidency, prime ministry and foreign ministry very well and he has direct access to all," a senior Turkish diplomat told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review over the weekend. "But there will also be duties he will not like very much, such as appointments in the ministry and responsibilities concerning the protocol."
The diplomat pointed out that Davutoğlu will need to first deal with the domestic problems of the ministry, inherited by his predecessor, to be able to deal with the heavy load of the foreign policy.
Appointments to the critical positions and embassies stand at the top of his to-do list. As the tenures of Gürcan Türkoğlu, the president’s foreign policy adviser, and Ali Yakıtal, the prime minister’s adviser are expiring, Davutoğlu should consider who to appoint to these important seats. Furthermore, there are three important general directories, namely Africa and the Caucasus desks and the intelligence and security desk, in the ministry that await an appointment. As part of appointments, Davutoğlu will have to find suitable names to appoint as ambassadors to Oman, Estonia and Switzerland.
That is to be coupled with a new general-secretary for the EU as Oğuz Demiralp has also concluded his term.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s chief foreign policy adviser, Professor Davutoğlu, was appointed foreign minister late Friday as part of a large Cabinet reshuffle. Despite pressure by Erdoğan, Davutoğlu had always veered away from work in Parliament or the Cabinet as he wanted to return to academia. Author of "Strategic Depth," Davutoğlu was known as the architect of Turkey’s current foreign policy, aiming at making Turkey "a regional and global actor."
Davutoğlu to both Gül and Erdoğan
When Abdullah Gül was elected president in 2002, Davutoğlu became the chief adviser of the Prime Ministry. He has maintained his post during Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s term, thus known for his close ties with both leaders.
He has represented Turkey in many international platforms and took active roles during the European Union talks, Cyprus negotiations and Iraq war. Davutoğlu, who accompanied Gül on his historic visit to Yerevan in September, was also in the forefront of a recent government initiative to normalize relations with Armenia.
Davutoğlu came under the spotlight after his secret meeting with Hamas leader Halid Meşal in the winter of 2006. Since then he has gained a reputation for being the upper hand in shaping Turkey’s foreign policy, and is often depicted as the "Shadow Man" or the "Kissenger of Turkish diplomacy" by experts.
"Turkey is no longer a country that only reacts to crises, but notices the crises before they emerge and intervenes in the crises effectively and gives shape to the order of its surrounding region," Davutoğlu told reporters Saturday during the handover ceremony.
With a stronger foreign policy vision toward the Middle East, Balkans and Caucasus, Turkey will surely expand its role in this mentioned geography, he said.
He underlined that the country’s fundamental foreign policy principle of Western orientation will remain the same and that Turkey will continue its efforts to become a part of the EU.
His appointment has also been welcomed by many diplomats of the Foreign Ministry. "His appointment is a good one. He has a strategic view and is a theoretician. He knows the presidency, prime ministry and foreign ministry very well and he has direct access to all," a senior Turkish diplomat told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review over the weekend. "But there will also be duties he will not like very much, such as appointments in the ministry and responsibilities concerning the protocol."
The diplomat pointed out that Davutoğlu will need to first deal with the domestic problems of the ministry, inherited by his predecessor, to be able to deal with the heavy load of the foreign policy.
Appointments to the critical positions and embassies stand at the top of his to-do list. As the tenures of Gürcan Türkoğlu, the president’s foreign policy adviser, and Ali Yakıtal, the prime minister’s adviser are expiring, Davutoğlu should consider who to appoint to these important seats. Furthermore, there are three important general directories, namely Africa and the Caucasus desks and the intelligence and security desk, in the ministry that await an appointment. As part of appointments, Davutoğlu will have to find suitable names to appoint as ambassadors to Oman, Estonia and Switzerland.
That is to be coupled with a new general-secretary for the EU as Oğuz Demiralp has also concluded his term.