Turkey’s Regional Challenge (İng.)

SAYIN BÜYÜKELÇİNİN BRÜKSEL ÜNİVERSİTESİ’NİN
ULUSLARARASI İLİŞKİLER STRATEJİK EĞİTİM MERKEZİ’NDE
“TURKEY’S REGIONAL CHALLENGE” KONUSUNDA VERECEĞİ KONFERANS İÇİN HAZIRLANAN KONUŞMA TASLAĞI

DISTINGUISHED GUESTS,

I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME TO SHARE MY THOUGHTS ON AN INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT AND RELEVANT SUBJECT, TURKEY’S REGIONAL CHALLENGE. IN THAT REGARD, I AM SO GLAD THAT TURKEY IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE OF A POINT OF INTEREST IN THE WEST PARTICULARLY FROM A REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE. INDEED, TURKEY’S POTENTIAL, AS WELL AS THE CHALLENGES SHE FACES BECOMES MORE VISIBLE AND PERTINENT WHEN SEEN FROM A REGIONAL CONTEXT. AND IT IS THAT VERY POTENTIAL THAT MAKES IT ALL THE MORE IMPORTANT TO BE ABLE UNDERSTAND TURKEY’S POLICIES, CHOICES AND EXPECTATIONS.

ALTHOUGH, THE WORLD IS GOING THROUGH A RAPID TRANSFORMATION IN EVERY SENSE AND MOST OF THE STATES ARE RATHER ENJOYING THE RELIEF OF THE PEACE DIVIDEND OF THE POST-COLD WAR ERA, TURKEY FINDS ITSELF IN A UNIQUE POSITION. WHILE ON THE ONE HAND, SHIFTING TO THE EPICENTER OF THE PIVOTAL STAGE OF THE 21ST CENTURY, WITH GREAT OPPORTUNITIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES, TURKEY IS ALSO SURROUNDED BY THE FORCES AND REMNANTS OF THE PAST, AS WELL AS THE NEWLY EMERGING RISKS AND THREATS.

INDEED, TURKEY LIES AT THE VERY HUB OF A VAST REGION WHERE THE WEIGHT OF THE PAST MEETS THE MANY CONUNDRUMS OF THE PRESENT ALONG WITH THE MANY PROMISES THE FUTURE HOLDS.

TURKEY, A EUROPEAN AND NEAR-EASTERN NATION AT ONCE, LYING AT THE CONFLUENCE OF SO MANY GEOGRAPHIC, HISTORIC AND CULTURAL INFLUENCES, AS WELL AS TRADE ROUTES THAT HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE SHAPING OF THE MODERN WORLD, PERCEIVES ITSELF TO BE IN A POSITION TO PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN WORLD AFFAIRS IN THE APPROACHING ERA, AS NEW HORIZONS ARE UNFOLDING IN THE SURROUNDING REGIONS. IN THIS REGARD, IT IS WORTHWHILE TO NOTE THAT THERE ARE NOW 26 COUNTRIES, FROM THE BALKANS TO CENTRAL ASIA, WITH WHICH WE SHARED FOR CENTURIES A COMMON HISTORY AND A COMMON FATE.

HOWEVER, WE SHOULD BE AWARE THAT THE REGION AROUND TURKEY FROM THE BALKANS TO THE DEEP STRETCHES OF ASIA, THE BLACK SEA BASIN AND THE MIDDLE EAST IS PARTICULARLY BURDENED WITH CONFLICTS. THIS REGION CONSTITUTES A TEST CASE IN TERMS OF COPING WITH THE OLD AND EMERGING THREATS TO INTERNATIONAL PEACE AND STABILITY, SUCH AS THE RESURGENCE OF EXTREME ETHNIC NATIONALISM, RELIGIOUS FUNDAMENTALISM, RACISM, INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM AND CULTURAL DISCRIMINATION. ALL THIS IS CAUSE FOR AGGRESSION.

ONE SHOULD ALSO KEEP IN MIND THAT ALMOST EVERY CHARACTERISTIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE POST-COLD WAR ERA OCCURRED IN THE VICINITY OF TURKEY OR HAS AFFECTED US IN SOME WAY. INDEED, WHEN WE THINK OF THE THREE TRAUMAS WITH WORLDWIDE IMPLICATIONS OF RECENT TIMES, NAMELY THE GULF CRISIS, DISINTEGRATION OF THE FORMER SOVIET UNION AND THE BREAK-UP OF FORMER YUGOSLAVIA, WE SEE THAT THEY ALL TOOK PLACE IN THE PERIPHERY OF TURKEY.

THEREFORE, TURKEY STILL HAS TO GIVE DUE EMPHASIS TO THE DEFENSE AND SECURITY ASPECTS OF THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS IN ITS POLICIES. UNFORTUNATELY WE DON’T HAVE THE LUXURY TO SOLELY ACT UPON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF THE GLOBALIZATION MOVEMENT. ON THAT POINT, ALLOW ME TO ILLUSTRATE A SIMPLE COMPARISON BETWEEN TURKEY AND HER THREE NEIGHBOURS TO THE EAST AND SOUTH, NAMELY IRAN, IRAQ AND SYRIA ON THE BASIS OF SOME BASIC DEFENCE CRITERIA.

THE THREE COUNTRIES’ TOTAL OF ARMED FORCES REACH 1.3 MILLION, WHEREAS TURKEY’S ARMY, WHICH IN FACT IS THE LARGEST IN NATO AFTER THE UNITED STATES, IS 600 THOUSAND. THE AVERAGE PERCENTAGE OF THEIR DEFENSE EXPENDITURES TO GDP IS 2% HIGHER THAN THAT OF TURKEY, DESPITE THE FACT THAT EVEN THEIR TOTAL OF GDP IS MUCH LESS (55BN. US DOLLAR) THAN OF TURKEY. THE SAME IS ALSO TRUE FOR MAJOR MILITARY EQUIPMENT SUCH AS THE MAIN BATTLE TANKS (8200 TOTAL VERSUS 4205 FOR TURKEY) AND FIGHTER AIRCRAFT.

IT IS OF COURSE TRUE THAT NUMBERS CAN NOT GIVE AN ACCURATE PICTURE OF THE REAL CAPABILITIES AND THAT THE TRAINING, READINESS LEVELS AND THE QUALITY MAKE THE DIFFERENCE. HOWEVER, THE FACT THAT ALL THREE COUNTRIES ARE PURSUING SUCH AGGRESSIVE POLICIES IN TERMS OF ARMAMENT AND MILITARIZATION, ALTHOUGH THEIR PEOPLE IS IN DIRE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS, GIVES AN IDEA OF THE REALITY THAT TURKEY HAS TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT AND BE PREPARED ACCORDINGLY.

AS I HAVE ALREADY ALLUDED, THE REST OF OUR NEIGHBOURHOOD IS NOT MUCH DIFFERENT. 13 OF THE 16 CRISIS CONTINGENCIES THAT THE SECURITY EXPERTS IN NATO HAS ENVISAGED ARE IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY OF TURKEY. INDEED, THE CAUCASUS, THE BALKANS AND THE MIDDLE EAST AT LARGE IS BELEAGUERED BY CONFLICTS AND CRISIS. THE NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT BETWEEN ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN HAS DIRECT CONSEQUENCES ON TURKEY. CHECHNYA IS ONLY MILES AWAY FROM OUR BORDERS AND WE FEEL THE REPERCUSSIONS INSTANTLY. IN THE BALKANS, ONE HAS NOT TO SPEAK MUCH FOR THE VOLATILITY OF THE SITUATION. HOWEVER, I NEED TO REMIND YOU THAT WE HAVE MORE BOSNIACS IN TURKEY THAN THERE IS IN BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA PROPER, AND THE SAME APPLIES TO ALBANIANS IN KOSOVO. I THINK THAT IS ENOUGH TO DEMONSTRATE TURKEY’S SPECIAL INTEREST IN THE REGION.

IN SO FAR AS THIS IMMEDIATE NEIGHBORHOOD IS CONCERNED, WE ARE AWARE OF THE MANIFOLD RESPONSIBILITIES STEMMING FROM OUR REGIONAL ROLE. IN THIS GEOGRAPHY, WE CANNOT AFFORD TO BE PAROCHIAL AND SHORT-SIGHTED AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH OUR ALLIES AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY IN TACKLING THE PROBLEMS OF THE AREA. WE WILL BE FUFILLING OUR PART IN CONCERTED ACTIONS TO SAFEGUARD PEACE AND STABILITY.

IT WAS PRECISELY WITH THIS UNDERSTANDING THAT WE HAVE BEEN ACTIVELY SUPPORTING NATO’S EFFORTS IN ENDING THE TRAGIC CONFLICT IN KOSOVO, AND WE SAW OUR ROLE WITHIN THE ALLIANCE AUGMENTED. IT IS AGAIN THAT COMPELLING CONSTRUCTIVENESS WHY TURKEY SUPPORTS THE MIDDLE EAST PECAE PROCESS SINCE ITS OUTSET. AND IT IS BECAUSE OF THAT PERCEPTION OF RESPONSIBILITY TURKEY TAKES AN ACTIVE PART IN THE MINSK GROUP TO MEDIATE BETWEEN AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA AND ALSO PLAYS A LEADING ROLE TO REPLICATE ANOTHER STABILITY PACT THIS TIME FOR THE CAUCASUS.

AGAINST THAT BACKDROP, IT IS ALSO HIGHLY RELEVANT TO DRAW YOUR ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT TURKEY HAS NOT BEEN ENGAGED IN ANY OF THE CONFLICTS SURROUNDING ITSELF SINCE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE REPUBLIC. THIS UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS WITH RESPECT TO THE PREVAILING FEATURES OF THE REGION, IS PREDOMINANTLY DUE TO THE PEACEFUL POLICIES OF TURKEY WHICH COMES INTO BODY IN THE TIMELESS WORDS OF MUSTAFA KEMAL ATATÜRK, “PEACE AT HOME, PEACE IN THE WORLD”.

HOWEVER, AS EVIDENT FROM WHAT I HAVE ALREADY DESCRIBED, OUR REGION IS NOT A PERFECT PLACE TO SOLELY DEPEND ON GOOD-WILL, CONFIDENCE AND SYMPATHY. ASIDE FROM ALL THE HISTORICAL, SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS, THE ABSENCE OF CONFIDENCE BUILDING MEASURES OF AN OSCE NATURE, WHICH CREATES A CERTAIN FEELING OF VULNERABILITY, COMPELS THE COUNTRIES OF THE REGION TO MAINTAIN A CREDIBLE DETERRENT POWER IN ORDER TO ENSURE THEIR SECURITY. THAT IS WHY TURKEY IS STILL REQUIRED TO SPEND A HIGH AMOUNT OF ITS GDP TO DEFENSE, WHICH IN FACT DOES NOT ONLY BRING SECURITY FOR TURKEY, BUT IN FACT TO THE EURO-ATLANTIC REGION IN GENERAL, BECAUSE OF THE INTERDEPENDENCY OF THE PRESENT ERA.

HAVING SAID THAT, ONE HAS TO BE AWARE OF THE FACT THAT THE NOTION OF POWER IS ALSO CHANGING. INDEED, ESPECIALLY DURING THE CLOSING YEARS OF THIS CENTURY, THE OLD CONCEPT OF “BALANCE OF POWER” IS BEING RENDERED WITH AN ESSENTIAL CHANGE.  THE MAJOR DETERMINANT OF A COUNTRY’S RANKING AMONG NATIONS IS NO LONGER ITS SHEER MILITARY MIGHT. FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES, A CONTEMPORARY POWER AS SUCH MUST HAVE SUSTAINED ECONOMIC DYNAMISM. AS THE PROCESS OF GLOBALISATION ENGULFS WHOLE REGIONS AROUND THE WORLD; HISTORICAL, CULTURAL AND POLITICAL FACTORS INCREASINGLY ENTER INTO THE PICTURE AND PLAY OUT THEIR FORCE OUT IN THE INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT. THIS IS PRECISELY WHY ANY COUNTRY’S ABILITY TO USE ITS COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGES TO MAXIMUM EFFECTIVENESS IS VASTLY IMPORTANT IN A SHRINKING WORLD. IT IS IN THIS CONTEXT, AND IN RECOGNITION OF THE NEW AND NOVEL ATTRIBUTES OF THE CONTEMPORARY POWER GAME THAT TURKEY IS WELL POISED TO BECOME A SIGNIFICANT PLAYER IN THE FORTHCOMING FUTURE AND FULFIL A DISTINCTLY GLOBAL RATHER THAN A REGIONAL ROLE.

MY COUNTRY’S SOCIO-ECONOMIC AGGREGATES AND OTHER RELEVANT MEASURING DATA COUPLED WITH THE PROVEN DYNAMISM OF ITS PEOPLE AND ECONOMY WILL ALLOW TURKEY TO ENJOY A LEADING ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL ROLE THROUGHOUT THE VAST STRETCHES OF EURASIA; A POST-COLD WAR GEOPOLITICAL REALITY, DEFINING AN AREA FROM THE SHORES OF WESTERN EUROPE TO THE ISLETS IN THE YELLOW SEA. WE HAVE EVERY REASON TO ASPIRE FOR SUCH A ROLE INSTEAD OF CONFINING OUR VISION TO THE PERIPHERY OF EUROPE; AND TO EXPECT TO PERFORM A PIVOTAL ROLE IN THE EMERGENCE OF THE REALITY OF EURASIA. IN FACT, THIS IS TURKEY’S CHALLENGE !!

IN THE POST-COLD WAR ENVIRONMENT, OR RATHER, IN THE WAKE OF THE END OF THE BI-POLAR WORLD, THERE EXIST SEVERAL FACTORS UNDERPINNING THE ABOVE DEVELOPMENT. TO START WITH, THERE IS AN INCREASING AGREEMENT  AMONG MANY OBSERVERS THAT EURASIA IS SET TO BECOME THE CENTRAL STAGE IN INTERNATIONAL POLITICS. THE TRENDS IN PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES ALONG WITH THE DEVELOPMENTS IN COMMUNICATIONS AND TRANSPORT AS WELL THE WAY WE PROCESS INFORMATION, ALL TEND TO MOVE EUROPE AND ASIA CLOSER TOWARD FORMING AN INTEGRATED WHOLE, PARTS OF WHICH ARE MUCH MORE INTERCONNECTED AND DEPENDENT ON EACH OTHER. EVIDENTLY, BOTH HAVE TO GAIN MUCH FROM BELONGING TO A GREATER WHOLE.

FURTHERMORE, THE GREAT BULK OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WILL TAKE PLACE IN THIS GEOGRAPHY. THE ADVANCING DEVELOPMENT OF NEW ENERGY RESOURCES AND COMMUNICATION CORRIDORS BEARS WITNESS TO THIS PROCESS.

IN THAT RESPECT, THE GEO-STRATEGIC REALITIES OF THE POST-COLD WAR ERA GIVE TURKEY A KEY ROLE IN THE REGION. INDEED, IN THIS VAST GEOGRAPHY, TURKEY HAS THE MOST DYNAMIC ECONOMY, THE MOST POWERFUL ARMY AND THE LONGEST RUNNING DEMOCRACY ALONG WITH OTHER IMPORTANT FACTORS THAT ENABLE US TO BRING IN OUR UNIQUE CONTRIBUTION TO THE QUEST FOR LASTING PEACE AND STABILITY IN THIS HALF OF THE WORLD AND BENEFIT, AT THE SAME TIME, FROM THE MANY OPPORTUNITIES THAT COME TO FORE. IT IS NOT ALONE OUR HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL PATRIMONY, BUT THE DEPTH AND BREADTH OF THE TURKISH ECONOMY THAT ARE RELEVANT CONSIDERATIONS IN THIS ANALYSIS. DURING THE LONG DECADES OF THE COLD-WAR, TURKEY WAS PRIMARILY KNOWN FOR HER MILITARY-STRATEGIC CONTRIBUTION TO NATO IN DEFENSE OF FREEDOM. NOW, WE ARE INCREASINGLY KNOWN FOR OUR ECONOMIC DYNAMISM, SAVVY ENTREPRENEURIALSHIP AND THE WAY WE CARRY OURSELVES ALONG MODERN TRADE WINDS. MOST IMPORTANTLY, AND I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH THIS POINT, BEING EUROPEAN AND ASIAN AT ONCE IS A PRIVILEGE THAT WE ENJOY AND IT IS ON THE HEELS OF SUCH RICHNESS THAT WE ARE POISED, WINGS ASTRIDE, TO BECOME A PIVOTAL COUNTRY IN THE NEW INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT POLITICALLY AND ECONOMICALLY.

ALLOW ME TO ILLUSTRATE THIS PHENOMENON WITH A FEW HARD FACTS AND FIGURES BASED ON THE COMPARISON OF SOME OF THE REGIONAL COUNTRIES.

-    TURKEY’S GNP IN TERMS OF PURCHASING POWER PARITIES (425 BILLION US DOLLARS) IS EQUAL TO THE SUM OF EGYPT (188), SAUDI ARABIA (186), IRAQ (52) AND SYRIA (41) AND TWELVE TIMES BIGGER THAN THAT OF LIBYA (38).
-    EXCEPT SAUDI ARABIA, WHO IS AFTER ALL AN OIL-RICH COUNTRY, NONE OF THESE COUNTRIES’ GNP PER CAPITA IS HIGHER THAN TURKEY (6.600 US DOLLARS).
-    TURKEY’S FOREIGN TRADE VOLUME OF 80 BILLION US DOLLARS IS ALMOST EQUAL TO THE SUM OF IRAN(25), EGYPT(21), ALGERIA(22), SYRIA(9) AND LIBYA (12).
-    TODAY, WITH A GNP OF 425 BILLION DOLLARS, TURKEY IS THE 16TH BIGGEST ECONOMY IN THE WORLD, AND THE 6TH BIGGEST IN EUROPE.
-    TURKEY OWNS ONE OF THE STRONGEST INDUSTRIAL BASES IN A VAST GEOGRAPHY BETWEEN AUSTRIA AND JAPAN, WITH 90 % OF HER EXPORTS CONSISTING OF INDUSTRIAL GOODS.
-    OUR NATIONAL FLAG CARRIER FLIES TO ALL THE CAPITALS IN THE BLACK SEA REGION, CAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA.
-    CHASE MANHATTAN MOSCOW REPORTS TO CHASE MANHATTAN ISTANBUL, NOT VICE VERSA. THIS IS THE SAME FOR NOKIA AS WELL, WHICH MOVED ITS REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS TO ISTANBUL.
-    THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE INCLUDES TURKEY AMONG THE “TEN BIG EMERGING MARKETS” OF THE WORLD.
-    THE AMOUNT OF DIRECT INVESTMENT IN TURKEY HAS REACHED 11.5 BILLION US DOLLARS IN MID-1999, AND 4754 FOREIGN FIRMS ARE ACTIVE IN THE COUNTRY; THE HIGHEST IN THE REGION.
-    TURKEY RANKS 9TH IN THE WORLD TODAY IN TERMS OF NETWORK SIZE, WITH MAJOR INVESTMENTS AND PRIVATIZATION YET TO BE INITIATED IN THIS SECTOR.
-    THE SOUTHEASTERN ANATOLIA PROJECT IS ONE OF THE 9 LARGEST PROJECTS IN THE WORLD AND IT IS NEARING COMPLETION. IN ADDITION TO GENERATING 27 BILLION KILOWATTS OF ELECTRICITY, IT WILL IRRIGATE MORE THAN 1.7 MILLION HECTARES OF LAND, THEREBY ADDING 50% MORE TO TURKEY’S ARABLE LAND.
-    THE PORTFOLIO OF THE TURKISH CONTRACTORS IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION AND THE COUNTRIES OF CENTRAL ASIA, AS WELL AS OTHER REGIONS OF THE WORLD EXCEED 40 BILLION DOLLARS ! THEY EMPLOY MORE THAN 50 000 PEOPLE IN 39 COUNTRIES WORLDWIDE.

FURTHERMORE, AS YOU WELL KNOW, TURKEY OFFERS THE IDEAL ROUTE FOR THE NEW PIPELINES THAT WILL CARRY CASPIAN OIL AND NATURAL GAS TO WESTERN MARKETS. NEW TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATION NETWORKS  THAT WILL CONNECT EUROPE TO ASIA WILL ALSO CROSS THROUGH TURKEY. IN THIS RESPECT, THE IDEA OF THE “EAST-WEST CORRIDOR”, HAVING THE BAKÜ-TBILISI-CEYHAN OIL PIPELINE AS ITS INTEGRAL PART CONSTITUTES A VIABLE, RELIABLE, LONG-TERM COST-EFFECTIVE AND ENVIRONMENTALLY MOST FEASIBLE AND SAFE OPTION. THE REALIZATION OF THIS PROJECT, COUPLED WITH THE TRANSPORTATION NETWORK OF THE SAME NATURE, WILL HELP THE CONSOLIDATION OF PEACE, PROSPERITY AND STABILITY IN THE REGION.

INDEED, WE BELIEVE THAT ECONOMIC INTERDEPENDENCE  AND COOPERATION AMONG NATIONS ARE AN EFFECTIVE WAY OF REDUCING TENSIONS. THIS IS WHY TURKEY HAS ALSO PIONEERED REGIONAL ECONOMIC COOPERATION INITIATIVES SUCH AS THE BLACK SEA ECONOMIC COOPERATION ZONE AND THE DEVELOPING-8. TURKEY WAS ALSO INSTRUMENTAL IN REVITALIZING THE ONCE DORMANT ECONOMIC COOPERATION ORGANIZATION, WHICH NOW ALSO INCLUDES THE CENTRAL ASIAN NATIONS. THE COMBINED MEMBERSHIP OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS COVERS A VAST GEOGRAPHICAL AREA SPANNING COUNTRIES AS DIVERSE AS EGYPT, RUSSIA, MALAYSIA AND KAZAKHSTAN.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,

TURKEY IS INDEED AT THE CROSSROADS OF A VAST GEOGRAPHY THAT IS BECOMING EVER MORE INTERDEPENDENT. IN THAT RESPECT, THE DIVISIONS BETWEEN THE WEST AND THE EAST OR THE NORTH AND THE SOUTH ARE BOUND TO GIVE WAY TO NEW FORMS OF COOPERATION AND INTERACTION, WHICH WILL BRING ABOUT THE REAL POTENTIAL OF GLOBALISATION.

ACCORDINGLY, IT IS BECOMING ALL THE MORE EVIDENT THAT TURKEY WILL CONTINUE TO PLAY AN INCREASINGLY SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN THIS PROJECT IN ITS WIDENING REGION.

AFTER ALL, TURKEY HAS ALL ALONG BEEN THE FOUNTAINHEAD OF CHANGE AND TRANSFORMATION IN THE REGION. WE REPRESENT MODERNITY AND PROGRESS, AND AT THE SAME TIME WE WERE ABLE TO FIND A NEW AND CONTEMPORARY HOME FOR ISLAM, A HOME AT WHICH PIOUS PEOPLE ARE ALIENATED NEITHER FROM THEIR FAITH NOR THE CALL OF THE MODERN.

FINALLY, I BELIEVE THAT TURKEY IN THIS CAPACITY, PROVIDES WEST’S PRINCIPAL HISTORICAL, CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC LINK TO EASTERN HORIZONS. IN THIS REGARD, THE CHOICE THAT THE WEST IS GOING TO MAKE CAN HAVE ONLY TWO CONCEIVABLE RESULTS: EITHER THE WEST IS ENDOWED WITH A CRUCIAL BRIDGE OF CONCILIATION AND ITS CAPABILITIES THEREBY ENHANCED OR PART OF ITS HISTORY AND CULTURE IS DISCRIMINATED AGAINST. WHILE THE FORMER CHOICE IS APT TO ENRICH AND STRENGTHEN EUROPE’S STANDING IN AN INCREASINGLY DIVERSIFIED WORLD WHILE SECURING AN IMPORTANT STRATEGIC INPUT, THE LATTER IS BOUND TO HAVE NEGATIVE EFFECTS IN FURTHER STRENGTHENING PERSISTENT DICHOTOMIES. EUROPE HAS A CHANCE NOT TO CONFINE ITSELF WITHIN A NARROW STRATEGIC VISION AND DEVOID ITSELF OF THE UNIQUE CONTRIBUTIONS THAT TURKEY IS CAPABLE TO BRING FORTH IN EARNEST. IF THE FORMER BECOMES A LASTING REALITY, THE HUMANITY WILL GAIN, NOTHING ELSE.

AFTER ALL, TURKEY REPRESENTS A CENTURIES OLD CIVILIZATION WHICH DEVELOPED THE ORGANIZATIONAL WISDOM THAT HELPED THE MEDIEVAL CONTEXT REACH MODERN TIMES AS WELL AS A UNIQUE HISTORICAL EXPERIENCE CRYSTALLIZED IN THE MANIFOLD ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE REPUBLIC. THE TURKISH REPUBLIC IS NOT A MAKESHIFT STATE; A RUN-OF-THE-MILL COUNTRY, CREATED UPON AN AMORPHOUS STRING OF COINCIDENCE AND CIRCUMSTANCE. IN CONSTANT COMMUNICATION AND CONVERSATION WITH THE WORLD, A TRADITION OF RICH CULTURAL AND SOCIAL EXCHANGE SHAPED TURKISH HISTORY. OUR PATRIMONY DELVES INTO A MILLENNIUM. THE BIRTH OF THE TURKISH REPUBLIC HAS BEEN REALIZED UPON A MASTERLY AND REALISTIC ASSESMENT OF THE THEN RELEVANT BALANCE OF POWER, AND THE “ATTAINABLE OBJECTIVE” HAS BEEN DEFINED IN THIS MANNER ALONG WITH THE NECESSARY STRATEGY.

TODAY, AGAIN, WE ARE MAKING A DYNAMIC REASSESSMENT OF THE PRESENT CONDITIONS THAT THE FLOW OF HISTORY HAS BROUGHT IN FRONT OF US. TODAY, THERE IS A HISTORIC CHANCE THAT WE MUST ALL RECOGNIZE AND SEIZE. THIS IS ABOUT LIVING AS IT SHOULD BE IN A NEW CENTURY. THIS IS ABOUT SHEDDING FEARS THAT NO LONGER BELONG TO US. IT IS ABOUT RESOLVING PROBLEMS WITH THE BENEFIT OF THE EXPERIENCE OF THE LAST CENTURY. IT IS ABOUT SEIZING THE OPPORTUNITIES OF A NEW WORLD IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY. IN THIS NEW WORLD EURASIA IS A SHINING CONTINENT WITH A STRONG PROMISE. THIS REGION HAS THE RESOURCES, THE MANPOWER AND THE WILL TO REALIZE THIS PROMISE. MY COUNTRY SITUATED AT THE CENTER OF THIS CONTINENT IS PREPARED TO FULFILL ITS RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE QUEST OF PEACE AND PROSPERITY. THIS QUEST IS THE UNDENIABLE RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE OF THE REGION AND TURKEY IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT ALLY OF ANYONE WHO SHARES THIS DREAM AND WHO IS PREPARED TO ENTER INTO THIS HONORABLE JOURNEY !

THANK YOU.