Turkey: Foreign Policy

   (Turkish Prime Minister Recap Tayyip Erdogan has recently concluded his Middle East visit)

The recent visit of the charismatic and appealing Turkish Prime Minister Recap Tayyip Erdogan to the Middle East has not only taken the world by surprise but also spurred speculations. Hitherto, Turkey had never shown any interest towards the unity of Muslims across the world but then this visit is expected to be historical with respect to global Islamic unity. Many experts are comparing Erdogan to the 12th century ruler Saladin, a popular Muslim Sultan.

The current problems hovering over Middle East are attributed to the lack of unity among the Arab, non-Arab and Islamic nations. Addressing the media on the eve of Iranian New Year 1390 (April 5, 2011), Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said, “If the Islamic countries were united, such problems would not have ever occurred, but the problem is that the enemies do not permit such a unity to take place and impose discord among the Muslims.” Even countries like Pakistan and Indonesia are also of the opinion that violence in the Middle East will end if the Muslim countries unite. Surprisingly, Turkey has also joined the bandwagon. It also wants to share a good military, strategic and diplomatic cooperation with its long time estranged ally Iraq.

In the recent years, Turkey has also developed a good political relation with Saudi Arabia. Erdogan has been awarded the King Faisal International Prize from Saudi Arabia for his service to Islam in March 2010. Turkey has also enhanced its cooperation with Iran. Erdogan's efforts have even earned him the status of nothing less than a political celebrity in the region. Moreover, the overwhelming response that Erdogan received during his recent visit to Egypt, Libya and Tunisia has only proved Turkey’s credential as a vital influencer in Middle Eastern affairs. Interestingly, there has been a major change in Turkey's foreign policy priorities. The nation that, a few years back, wanted EU membership is now showing more interest in Middle East. An incident where Israeli soldiers assaulted nine Turkish activists in the Gaza flotilla raid (in May 2010) has led to this major shift in foreign policy. Turkey was once Israel's closest ally, but now it has not only suspended diplomatic and military ties with Israel but also announced expulsion of Israeli Ambassador to Ankara and threatened to use warships against any Israeli vehicle that reaches Gaza.

As a regional economic powerhouse and a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Turkey does have a greater role in establishing world peace. It is one of those nations that can bridge the gap between the Arab and the Western World, and promote global co-existence and sustainable development. Unfortunately, Erdogan's visit has not been positively viewed by its western allies. Suspicious as they were, Israel, US and Europe are observing it skeptically. Well, such things do happen. In diplomacy, if you create a friend, you invariably end up creating an enemy too!