Obama stresses Turkey's role in 'civilisation' outreach

US President Barack Obama began a groundbreaking visit to Ankara and Istanbul today (6 April), seeking to boost the role of this large Muslim ally on the world stage.

Background:

The second forum of the 'Alliance of Civilisations', held on 6-7 April in Turkey, seeks to address some of the ongoing tensions and dividing lines across cultures and religions, and to examine some of the broader challenges related to good governance of cultural diversity in an age of rapidly accelerating globalisation.

Hosted by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the forum convenes a network of global leaders, including US President Barack Obama, heads of international organisations including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, civil society and youth groups. Its declared aim is to forge partnerships aimed at building substantive interaction between diverse communities and strengthening trust and reconciliation across cultures.

The conference builds upon the success of the inaugural Alliance Forum which was held in Madrid, Spain, in January 2008. The high representative for the Alliance of Civilisations is former Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio.

Turkey-related controversy has outshined other topics during the successive European stopovers of US President Barack Obama over the last few days.

At the NATO summit in Strasbourg on 3-4 April, discussions centred on overcoming Ankara's initial reluctance to appoint Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen as the Alliance's next secretary-general.

Rasmussen finally got the job after Turkish President Abdullah Gül dropped his opposition, following intense telephone mediation by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Obama himself. Turkey was against the appointment of Rasmussen due to the 2006 'cartoon' crisis (EurActiv 15/02/06), as well as Denmark's hosting of a Kurdish satellite channel, Roj TV.

Bargaining gains

Erdogan told Turkish television that Turkey had received "guarantees" from Obama that one of Rasmussen's deputies would be a Turk and that Turkish commanders would be present in the alliance's command, Reuters reported. Also, according to Bloomberg, Rasmussen had promised that his country would shut down Roj TV, if investigations show it has connections with terrorists.

During his next stop in Prague for an EU-US summit on 4-5 April, Obama put his weight behind Turkey's membership of the European Union, prompting French President Nicolas Sarkozy to reiterate in strong terms his government's opposition to the country's EU accession.

France against Turkey in EU

In an interview in Prague for French television channel TF1, Sarkozy said his negative stance towards Turkish membership of the bloc had not changed.

"I have always been against [Turkey's] admission and I continue to be opposed to it. I think I can say a huge majority of member countries take the same position as France," Sarkozy said.

Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg told journalists that Turkey's EU admission was not officially discussed at the EU-US summit in Prague.

"It is known that a few states - not only France, but also Germany - are sceptical enough about Turkey joining. The Austrians are not happy about it either," Schwarzenberg said.

Regional and global contribution

According to the Turkish press, Obama's official visit to Turkey, which is taking place not long after the new US president took office, is a sign of the importance of the two countries' bilateral relationship.

In Ankara, Obama will have talks with President Gül, Prime Minister Erdogan, parliament speaker Köksal Toptan and leaders of the opposition parties represented in parliament. He will also address a plenary session of the parliament today (6 April), reflecting the US administration's support for Turkey's parliamentary democracy.

NATO's role in Afghanistan, where Turkey currently has more than 800 troops, is likely to be high on the agenda of Obama's talks with Turkish officials. Obama's new approach to Afghanistan, which highlights the need for more civilian efforts there, is a point which has been frequently underlined in the Turkish capital, Zaman wrote.

The US president will then proceed to Istanbul, which is hosting the second forum of the UN-led Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC). The forum, which kicked off today (6 April) and ends tomorrow, is likely to see Obama's participation to a reception held tonight for world leaders attending the forum.

As the Turkish daily Zaman reminds, during the Munich Security Conference held in Germany in February, US Vice President Joe Biden reiterated Obama's desire to steer clear of the 'clash of civilisations' theory, stressing his desire to break with some of the more confrontational aspects of former President George W. Bush's foreign policy.

Turkey is also seen by Washington as a key player in the Middle East conflict. Erdogan recently obtained hero status in the Arab world when he walked out on the Israeli president, Shimon Peres, during a debate earlier this year in Davos (EurActiv 30/01/09).

Mediation with Teheran?

The Turkish press is also speculating that Obama may meet former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami in Istanbul. The speculation comes after Turkey announced its readiness to mediate in possible talks between Tehran and Washington.

Turkey is the ideal location for a rapprochement between Washington and Tehran should such a meeting take place, the Middle East Times writes.

Relations between Washington and Ankara have been going through a difficult spell since 2003, when the Turkish parliament voted not to let President George W. Bush use Turkish soil to open a front of the invasion of Iraq.

In a damage-limitation strategy, any tension over difficult issues, such as Turkey's denial of an Armenian genocide during the Ottoman era, is expected to be avoided during Obama's trip. Unlike his predecessors Bush and Clinton, Obama will not pay a visit to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians. Turkey harbours historical mistrust toward the patriarchate.
Positions:

Sami Kohen of the Turkish daily Milliyet wrote that the centre of gravity of Obama's visit is not just about giving support to Turkey's EU bid, but also highlights the importance of Turkey's geostrategic position.

"Obama is eager to win Turkey back," the author writes. "Turkey is building up close relations with Middle East countries and the Muslim communities. The US is quite worried about that, and Obama wants a new insight in Turkey-US relations. This is why Obama is paying a visit to Turkey."

The visit, Kohen continues, has a different objective to Obama's European trip. "He visited European countries, but there he participated in multi-lateral meetings such as the NATO summit or the EU-US summit. But his visit to Turkey has a different characteristic. He comes to Turkey just for Turkey [for bilateral relations]. The US is reconsidering its foreign policy. Obama's message is:'Let's not alienate Turkey'."

Mustafa Akyol, deputy editor of the Hurriyet daily, writes that together with Obama, the Turkish government is hoping that it can build up its soft power in the region.

"The Bush administration was not very open to dialogue with several important actors in the Middle East. So, when Obama came to power with a more reconciliatory tone, with a message that says 'The United States will listen,' and when Obama said he wants to engage in a process with Iran, Turkey said, 'Yes, this is what we have been waiting for'."

Nusret Kandemir, a former Turkish ambassador, stated: "This visit is quite different than any other visits of US presidents to Turkey. In the past, it has always been Turkey which wanted to gain something from US or which has been the demanding side. And the point has always been whether Turkey achieved its goals or not. But this time, US wants to change its image of the last eight years. Now the US is the demanding part."