06 April 2009
Repairing Ties in Turkey, Obama Reaches Out to Muslim World
Washington — President Obama completed his first overseas tour in Turkey, where he said America’s new efforts to engage with the Muslim world are part of his administration’s commitment to a foreign policy rooted in mutual respect and seeking common solutions to global challenges.
“I know that the trust that binds the United States and Turkey has been strained, and I know that strain is shared in many places where the Muslim faith is practiced. So let me say this as clearly as I can: The United States is not, and will never be, at war with Islam,” Obama said in an April 6 address to the Turkish Grand National Assembly in Turkey’s capital, Ankara.
“Our partnership with the Muslim world is critical not just in rolling back the violent ideologies that people of all faiths reject, but also to strengthen opportunity for all its people.”
Close ties between the United States and the Republic of Turkey date back to the 1947 implementation of the Truman Doctrine aimed at strengthening the Muslim-majority state’s economic and military self-reliance — a goal promoted from the Cold War era to the present day through close bilateral diplomacy and as a partnership between two of the largest military forces in the 28-nation NATO alliance.
Washington-Ankara diplomacy was strained by the Turkish parliament’s 2003 decision to block U.S.-led coalition forces from using Turkey as a launching pad into neighboring Iraq. Obama’s visit is the latest step by the new administration in repairing relations.
“Turkey is a critical ally. Turkey is an important part of Europe. And Turkey and the United States must stand together — and work together — to overcome the challenges of our time,” Obama said, citing Turkey’s global role in both the recent G20 London summit on the global financial crisis and NATO’s 60th Anniversary Summit in Strasbourg, France, and Kehl, Germany. “Because of the strength of our alliance and the endurance of our friendship, both America and Turkey are stronger and the world is more secure.”
American engagement with Turkey and the broader Muslim world is much more than shared security challenges, Obama said. Expanding U.S.-Turkish trade, cooperation on renewable energy investments and climate change, as well as continued support for Turkish efforts to deliver Caspian-region oil and gas to European markets all figured prominently in talks between Obama and Turkish President Abdullah Gül and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
“This economic cooperation only reinforces the common security that Europe and the United States share with Turkey as a NATO ally, and the common values that we share as democracies,” Obama said.
Obama expressed support for Turkey’s European Union membership bid, praising its progress on a wide range of reforms. “Turkey is bound to Europe by more than the bridges over the Bosporus. Centuries of shared history, culture and commerce bring you together. Europe gains by the diversity of ethnicity, tradition and faith — it is not diminished by it. And Turkish membership would broaden and strengthen Europe’s foundation once more,” Obama said.
Turkey and the United States share a commitment to working for peace in the Middle East. In 2008, Turkey hosted talks between its southern neighbor, Syria, and Israel, and played a pivotal role in securing a cease-fire in Gaza earlier this year.
“Like the United States, you seek a future of opportunity and statehood for the Palestinians. So now, working together, we must not give into pessimism and mistrust. We must pursue every opportunity for progress,” Obama said.
Turkey could also play a key role in new U.S. efforts to engage with Iran, Obama said.
“The United States seeks engagement based on mutual interest and mutual respect. We want Iran to play its rightful role in the community of nations,” Obama said. “But Iran’s leaders must choose whether they will try to build a weapon or build a better future for their people.”
Obama also recognized Turkey as an essential partner in international efforts to stabilize Afghanistan — a top foreign policy priority for the Obama White House. Approximately 800 Turkish troops are serving in the NATO-led peacekeeping mission, while former Turkish Foreign Minister Hikmet Çetin served as the alliance’s top civilian official in Kabul from 2003 to 2006. As the Obama administration consults with allies to forge a new international strategy in Afghanistan, Turkey could continue to play a key role, Obama said.
“The world has come too far to let this region backslide,” Obama said. “That is why we are increasing our efforts to train Afghans to sustain their own security, and to reconcile former adversaries. That’s why we are increasing our support for the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan, so that we stand on the side not only of security, but also of opportunity and the promise of a better life.”
A transcript of Obama’s speech to the Turkish Grand National Assembly is available on America.gov.
