Democracy and foreign policy
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Temmuz 06, 2009 00:00
It is a well-known fact that democracy has never been a priority for Turkey’s foreign policy. But as a candidate country for European Union membership, Turkey is required to align its foreign-policy stance with that of the 27-nation bloc.
Whenever the European Union has taken a common stance on developments concerning democracy or human rights, Turkey has usually abstained from joining the bloc’s position. This has been even more the case when the EU has endorsed such a position regarding one of Turkey’s neighboring countries.
Lack of democracy or violations of human rights have not kept Turkey from improving its bilateral relations with neighboring countries, with the exception of Uzbekistan, which is a sui generis case.
So it might not have come as a surprise when Turkey was one of the countries most silent on the critical developments that took place in Iran in the immediate aftermath of the elections there.
In fact, in the few instances Turkey broke its silence, the carefully worded statements aimed not to rock the boat, making it sound less supportive of the opposition.
Obviously, the geography in which Turkey finds itself dictates its foreign-policy behavior. Apart from its neighbors to the west, Turkey is surrounded by countries that can hardly be called democracies. Hence, it is inconceivable for Turkey to base its bilateral relations with its neighbors on the rule of law or a good human-rights record.
"We are definitely on different pages as far as Iran is concerned," a European ambassador told the Daily News. "Not only do we have to act in solidarity with Great Britain, but the distance also obviously permits us to be much more critical than Turkey."
The ambassador added that Turkey privately says it is very concerned by the developments in Iran and disapproves of how top cleric Ali Khamanei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad handled the aftermath of the elections.
So it might be understandable up to a certain level that Turkey prefers to remain silent about internal developments in a neighboring country.
It was, however, a mistake to have hastily called Ahmadinejad to congratulate him on his controversial victory. President Abdullah Gül and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan both called the Iranian leader right after he declared victory, without paying attention to the opposition’s claims of vote rigging. That must have been a major disappointment to those seeking greater democracy in Iran.
And proximity does not always provide an alibi for Turkey’s stances on democratic principles. Take the case of the president of Sudan. Turkey did not refrain from hosting the leader of a country accused of war crimes. If Turkey wants to be a regional, or especially a global, player, it is high time it starts giving priority to democracy and human rights in its foreign policy.
Lack of democracy or violations of human rights have not kept Turkey from improving its bilateral relations with neighboring countries, with the exception of Uzbekistan, which is a sui generis case.
So it might not have come as a surprise when Turkey was one of the countries most silent on the critical developments that took place in Iran in the immediate aftermath of the elections there.
In fact, in the few instances Turkey broke its silence, the carefully worded statements aimed not to rock the boat, making it sound less supportive of the opposition.
Obviously, the geography in which Turkey finds itself dictates its foreign-policy behavior. Apart from its neighbors to the west, Turkey is surrounded by countries that can hardly be called democracies. Hence, it is inconceivable for Turkey to base its bilateral relations with its neighbors on the rule of law or a good human-rights record.
"We are definitely on different pages as far as Iran is concerned," a European ambassador told the Daily News. "Not only do we have to act in solidarity with Great Britain, but the distance also obviously permits us to be much more critical than Turkey."
The ambassador added that Turkey privately says it is very concerned by the developments in Iran and disapproves of how top cleric Ali Khamanei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad handled the aftermath of the elections.
So it might be understandable up to a certain level that Turkey prefers to remain silent about internal developments in a neighboring country.
It was, however, a mistake to have hastily called Ahmadinejad to congratulate him on his controversial victory. President Abdullah Gül and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan both called the Iranian leader right after he declared victory, without paying attention to the opposition’s claims of vote rigging. That must have been a major disappointment to those seeking greater democracy in Iran.
And proximity does not always provide an alibi for Turkey’s stances on democratic principles. Take the case of the president of Sudan. Turkey did not refrain from hosting the leader of a country accused of war crimes. If Turkey wants to be a regional, or especially a global, player, it is high time it starts giving priority to democracy and human rights in its foreign policy.