Situated in a challenging neighborhood, Turkey has a wealth of experience to bring to NATO as it has the ability to reach out to Tehran and speak to the Muslim world, said. Canadian National Defense Minister Peter MacKay, who hosted the participants of the Halifax International Security Forum.
“Turkey has very good credibility and connectivity to the West but also the ability to reach out to Tehran and speak to the Muslim world with clarity and perspective that we could gain from,” he told Today’s Zaman in an exclusive interview.
Noting that he became good friends with Turkish President Abdullah Gül during their time as foreign ministers, MacKay said there is a “strength and kindred spirit” between Canada and Turkey. “We recognize that we can fight when we have to, but we also have a skill set when it comes to diplomacy that allows us to talk with reason, to talk about difficult issues in a way that brings people together collaboratively,” he said, and added that there is further potential for Canada and Turkey to work together in that regard.
Regarding Iran, MacKay said Turkey’s voice is “very relevant” in the current discussion about Iran. As NATO leaders are soon going to meet in Lisbon to discuss the future of the organization and missile defense, there is debate over whether the organization will single out Iran as a threat, an idea that Turkey is opposed to.
MacKay also said the missile defense system should be a NATO initiative rather than one by the US. “It’s a European missile defense, after all. NATO is a more appropriate venue to support it,” he said. The Canadian defense minister also mentioned that Turkey is influential among Muslim countries in the region and that those countries take their signals from the relationship that Turkey has with Israel. Therefore, he said, Turkey’s normalized relations with Israel would be important.
08 November 2010, Monday
YONCA POYRAZ DOĞAN HALIFAX
ZAMAN
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