ANKARA IS TRUE TO ITS POLICY

Turkey will demolish an unfinished monument to friendship between Armenians and Turks installed in the city of Kars in the east of the country. The order to demolish the 30-metre monument was issued by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He explained that his decision was solely for aesthetic reasons. "The monument is ugly and does not fit into the architectural landscape of the city," he said.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu also expressed solidarity with the prime minister. He noted that this monument was not in harmony with the architecture of Kars. However, the minister said, the demolition of the monument is not related to Armenian-Turkish relations. "We favour the establishment of relations with Armenia, but it should not be unilateral. Armenia should take steps in this direction as well. In order to establish peace in the Caucasus, relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan need to improve," Davutoglu said.

The same opinion is shared by Turkish experts. Political analysts believe that Ankara will remain committed to a policy of good-neighbourly relations with countries of the region this year, but not to the detriment of its national interests. Another example is the meeting between Erdogan and his Greek counterpart George Papandreou in Erzurum immediately after the Christmas holidays.

We spoke with Professor Tayar Ari, head of the International Relations Department at Turkey's Uludag University, before these events. Despite this, his interview helped to answer many pressing questions about Turkey's foreign policy priorities for this year.

- Some time ago, Turkey launched an initiative to create a platform of stability and cooperation in the Caucasus. Concrete steps were even taken to establish confidence in the Caucasus and open the Armenian-Turkish border. But some observers say that Ankara adjusted its plans according to certain circumstances.

- I do not think that Turkey, which wants to contribute to stability in the Caucasus, has changed its policy at all. However, we should admit that it is impossible to achieve this aim solely by Ankara's efforts. This requires work by all regional and global players. Moreover, given the fact that Armenia's policy, for example, is influenced by internal and external factors, it is clear that unilateral efforts by Ankara are not enough. However, the Armenian leadership prefers to blame others and does not accept that the path to lasting peace in the region lies through settlement of the Karabakh conflict and liberation of the occupied lands.

- In late 2010, world politics were shaken by the release of American diplomatic dispatches by WikiLeaks. How seriously did this massive leak challenge the system of international relations? Specifically, could this influence somehow the future of Turkey's relations with the United States and other countries?

- Most of the information contained in the dispatches from American diplomats to the US State Department and released to the world by WikiLeaks, is routine. Most of these documents are subjective assessments and the views of ambassadors in the countries in which they worked, and the extent of their use is entirely the prerogative of the State Department. The main point in this context is to understand whether this leak of information, based largely on hearsay, was deliberate or whether it became available to the public as a result of negligence and mistakes.

If the information was leaked as a result of negligence, this means that not only those who are in contact with American diplomats, but also states, should be alert to the likelihood of such leaks in the future. If so, then there is a need to review information security.

However, if these dispatches were intentionally leaked to the public, then it is a clear attempt at serious manipulation. That is, we should examine the true goals pursued by the forces that began this campaign. Leaving aside the information concerning the "yellow press", we may assume that the purpose of these leaks was to reduce the level of trust between some countries in the Middle East and the Caucasus and to undermine their close ties.

It is also possible that those leaks which have already been made public or, perhaps, have yet to become public, are a means of blackmail.

Either way, states should not fall for such tricks. On the contrary, we should reject any desire or expectation that bilateral relations will deteriorate. Incidentally, the first reaction was exactly in this direction.

Another negative possibility is that the credibility of US diplomats in the region may fall. That is, from now on, people in our region will prefer not to have any contact with the Americans and, if communication is necessary, they will be very careful. After all, there is a clear likelihood that remarks made during such meetings may be distorted or even used against them.

In conclusion, I would like to note that although some WikiLeaks information caused concern in Turkey, it was not of a magnitude that could seriously affect Turkish-American relations. After all, the situation was clarified repeatedly and publicly by the parties during negotiations. So, I do not think that Ankara will pursue a policy towards its neighbours based on the documents leaked by WikiLeaks.

- Of the 250,000 sensational secret documents released by WikiLeaks, 8,000 relate to Turkey. What could be the reason?

- Turkey attracts attention not only because of regional conflicts, but also as a country seeking to contribute to peace on a global scale. Especially if you take into account the rapidly developing Turkish economy and the desire to create a more modern civic democracy.

Besides that, Turkey, which for many years took a line incompatible with its own history, values and culture, has begun to converge with the Middle East and the Islamic world. At the end of the Cold War era, Turkey made very close friends in the Balkans, the Caucasus and Central Asia. Ankara seeks to establish close relations with many states over a very wide geographical area. In this respect, the Turkish leadership is trying to secure multifaceted ties rather than establishing unilateral or bilateral relations. With a foreign policy aimed at strengthening security in neighbouring regions, Turkey is seeking to establish a fair and peaceful environment in the region and the world at large. This trend will certainly attract the attention of other players.

- According to one of the dispatches released by WikiLeaks, US forces in Iraq handed weapons to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). One document prepared by the US command in Iraq describes PKK terrorists as "freedom fighters". How can this information reflect Washington's real attitude towards the PKK problem?

- The official US position on the PKK has always been based on the premise that the Kurdistan Workers' Party is a terrorist organization. However, Turkey and Turkish society have always been of the opinion that the Americans support the PKK. These concerns intensified after the crisis in bilateral relations which began in May 2003 when Turkey refused to support the US occupation of Iraq.

Washington's inaction with regard to terrorist groups based in Northern Iraq, from where they make regular forays into Turkish territory, the Americans' reluctance to encourage the Kurdish administration in Northern Iraq to cooperate with Ankara in countering the PKK, as well as the White House's harsh criticism of Turkey's border military operations against terrorists, boosted Turkish discontent. At times, the level of hostility towards the USA among Turkish citizens reached 90 per cent.

At the same time, gradually improving relations under Obama have reduced negative attitudes towards Washington. In addition, Ankara and Washington have begun to act jointly against the PKK. As a result, the position of the Kurdish administration in Northern Iraq has also undergone significant change.

Nevertheless, the two countries may still have their differences from time to time, depending on the changing international environment and as a result of Turkish attempts to join regional and international processes as a global player.

- They say that Iraqis living in Turkey are helping the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization. Could this somehow influence US policy on the PKK issue?

- I fundamentally disagree with the statement that anyone in Turkey supports Al-Qaeda. Such a policy would be very risky and unnecessary and would contrast sharply with several basic principles of Turkey's current foreign policy. That is, these rumours must be regarded as part of a conspiracy against Turkey. With regard to the PKK, I believe that in this matter, the United States and Turkey have been able to create a platform for cooperation.

- If you remember, during the deterioration of relations between Turkey and Israel, some Turkish politicians said that Israel supports the PKK...

- Despite the lack of concrete evidence of Israeli support for the PKK, these concerns are actually prevalent in Turkish society. Back in 2003 when the occupation of Iraq began, there were widespread rumours that Israeli experts were training Kurdish groups in Northern Iraq and the PKK was receiving weapons from Israel. We must admit that such fears do exist in Turkish society.

- And in conclusion. You suggested that the WikiLeaks cables could aim to sow discord among the countries of the Middle East and the Caucasus. Could this have any impact on Turkish-Azerbaijani relations in particular?

- Turkish-Azerbaijani relations have a solid foundation that cannot be influenced by such gossip and rumours. It is absolutely impossible that bilateral ties which have gone far beyond the concept of overall strategic gain and which are based on the commonality of future development, might be changed by gossip. It is possible that some circles, who are aware that the fraternal states are increasingly gaining in strength, are trying to destroy it. Both politicians and people should be more careful not to succumb to provocation.

- Thank you for the interview.