Foreign Policy of Turkey-3
Dr. Abdul Ruff
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The name of Turkey means the land of humans in the Turkish language. Türk means “human being” in old Turkic language and usually signifying the inhabitants of Turkey or a member of the Turkish or Turkic peoples. The settlement of Turks or Troy started in the Neolithic and continued into the Iron Age. The occupation of Istanbul and İzmir by the Allies in the aftermath of World War I prompted the establishment of the Turkish national movement. Under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Pasha, a military commander who had distinguished himself during the Battle of Gallipoli, the Turkish War of Independence was waged with the aim of revoking the terms of the Treaty of Sèvres.
The independence of the Turkic states of the Soviet Union in 1991, with which Turkey shares a common cultural and linguistic heritage, allowed Turkey to extend its economic and political relations deep into Central Asia. Turkey has benefited from this development, thus enabling the completion of a multi-billion-dollar oil and natural gas pipeline from Baku in Azerbaijan to the port of Ceyhan in Turkey. The Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline forms part of Turkey’s foreign policy strategy to become an energy conduit to the West. However, Turkey’s border with Armenia, a state in the Caucasus, remains closed following its occupation of Azeri territory during the Nagorno-Karabakh War.
By 1922, the occupying armies were expelled, and the new Turkish state was established. The Treaty of Lausanne of July 24, 1923, led to the international recognition of the sovereignty of the newly formed “Republic of Turkey” as the successor state of the Ottoman Empire, and the republic was officially proclaimed on October 29, 1923, in the new capital of Ankara. Mustafa Kemal became the republic’s first President of Turkey and subsequently introduced many radical reforms with the aim of founding a new secular republic from the remnants of its Ottoman past.
Turkey remained neutral during most of World War II but entered on the side of the Allies on February 23, 1945, as a ceremonial gesture and in 1945 became a charter member of the UN. Difficulties faced by Greece after the war in quelling a communist rebellion, along with demands by the Soviet Union for military bases in the Turkish Straits, prompted the USA to declare the Truman Doctrine in 1947. The doctrine enunciated American intentions to guarantee the security of Turkey and Greece, and resulted in large-scale U.S. military support. Turkey joined NATO in 1952, becoming a bulwark against Soviet expansion into the Mediterranean. In 1984, the PKK began an insurgency against the Turkish government; the conflict, which has claimed over 40,000 lives, continues today. Since the liberalization of the Turkish economy during the 1980s, the country has enjoyed stronger economic growth and greater political stability
In line with its traditional Western orientation, relations with Europe as well as USA have always been a central part of Turkish foreign policy. Turkey became a founding member of the Council of Europe in 1949, applied for associate membership of the EEC (predecessor of the European Union) in 1959 and became an associate member in 1963. After decades of political negotiations, Turkey applied for full membership of the EEC in 1987, became an associate member of the Western European Union in 1992, reached a Customs Union agreement with the EU in 1995 and has been in formal accession negotiations with the EU since 2005.
As one of most important Islamic nation striving to uphold Shariia’ in some measure, Turkey has come to play very important role in Islamic world and in resolving Mideast issue. Istanbul’s active support for the cause of Palestine freedom has been showcase by its aid ship that braved fascist threats and terror attack in the sea. Turkey has become increasingly integrated with the West through membership in organizations such as the Council of Europe, NATO, OECD, OSCE and the G-20 major economies. Turkey began full membership negotiations with the European Union in 2005, having been an associate member of the European Economic Community since 1963 and having reached a customs union agreement in 1995. Turkey has also fostered close cultural, political, economic and industrial relations with the Middle East, the Turkic states of Central Asia and the African countries through membership in organizations such as the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Economic Cooperation Organization. Given its strategic location, large economy and army, Turkey is classified as a regional power.
Turkey’s placement in Western system is due the fact that it is an electoral-democratic, plurally secular, unitary, constitutional republic, with an ancient cultural heritage. The key defining aspect of Turkey’s foreign relations has been its ties with the USA. Based on the common threat posed by the Soviet Union, Turkey joined NATO in 1952, ensuring close bilateral relations with Washington throughout the Cold War. In the post-Cold War environment, Turkey’s geostrategic importance shifted towards its proximity to the Middle East, the Caucasus and the Balkans.
Turkey is not yet a member state in the EU, but a candidate country that began formal accession talks in 2005. The country has, however, been a member of NATO since 1952. Most recently, Ankara has been the subject of discussions over a potential NATO missile-defense system originally proposed by the USA during the Bush administration. It is unclear whether Turkey will actively participate in the proposed system directed against Iran, which much of the international community considers a threat due to its controversial nuclear program.
France and Germany are among the EU members opposing Turkey’s entry into EU as a bonofide member, while USA supports it from being “outside”.
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(More to follow…>)
د. عبد راف
Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal
Specialist on State Terrorism
13 Nov 2010
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Dr. Abdul Ruff (91-9961868309)., Specialist on State Terrorism; Chancellor-Founder of Centor for International Affairs(CIA); Chronicler of Freedom movements (Palestine, Kashmir, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Xinjiang, Chechnya, etc); Researcher, Independent Analyst, Commentator in International Affairs; Terrorism is caused by anti-Islamic forces. Fake democracies like USA and India have zero tolerance to any criticism of their anti-Muslim and other aggressive practices. Anti-Muslimism and anti-Islamism are more dangerous than “terrorism”. Anti-Islamic forces & terrorists are using criminal elements for terrorizing the world and they are harming genuine interests of ordinary Muslims. Unfortunately, we have many hypocrites among Muslims. (abdulruff_jnu@yahoo.com)