Turkey’s image after crisis over NATO’s next chief
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Fulya Özerkan
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Haziran 02, 2009 00:00
ANKARA - Turkey's failure to manage the crisis over the election of a new NATO secretary-general will hit a discussion panel in Istanbul Thursday. The panel will be held by the Arı Movement, an independent civil society organization founded in 1994.
"NATO is an apparent indicator that Turkey's face is turned toward the West. In recent times the relations with the organization have been marked by fault lines and Turkey has failed to well manage the dispute over the next NATO chief," Arda Batu, an academic and board member of the Arı Movement, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review yesterday.
In order to be named NATO secretary-general at the NATO Summit on April 3 and 4, Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen had to win Turkish support, as the alliance's leadership positions are filled by consensus among the now 28-nation military pact.
Ankara openly voiced objection to Rasmussen's candidacy based on his refusal to apologize for a 2006 uproar over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed. At the last summit, Rasmussen was elected to the top seat and will take it over in August from the Dutch secretary-general. This led to speculation that Ankara gave a nod to the Danish premier in return for securing a prominent position at the alliance but so far, Turkey has been left with nothing.
Critical appointments that never took place
"If a bargain is going to take place, the result should be calculated beforehand. The result in this case was the appointment of critical names from Turkey to the critical positions in NATO at the last summit but this did not happen," said Batu.Turkey's role in NATO, cooperation between NATO and the European Union, enlargement and NATO's mission in Afghanistan will figure high on the agenda of the three sessions of the Arı Movement this week. But earlier in the day, a facilitated discussion will take place to be attended by Onur Öymen of the main opposition Republican People's Party, or CHP, and Vahit Erdem of the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP.
"The crisis over the appointment of Rasmussen was tantamount to a diplomatic failure on the part of Turkey," Burak Ulusoy, international coordinator of the Arı Movement, told the Daily News. "The government's position opened to question Turkey's credibility not only in NATO but in the world," he added.
Afghanistan is among NATO's number one priorities. Ulusoy said Turkey has so far undertaken secondary missions in Afghanistan such as providing medical assistance and taking part in infrastructure projects. The country has 800 soldiers under the International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF, and is readying to take over the Kabul regional command.
Ankara, reluctant to send combat troops to the war-torn country, says security and stability in Afghanistan cannot be maintained through military means only. Ulusoy said Turkey may have blocked the possibility of sending combat forces to Afghanistan by giving a nod to Rasmussen and to France’s decision to return to the military wing of NATO. "But still this does not change the fact that Turkey failed during the election process of the NATO chief," he said.
In order to be named NATO secretary-general at the NATO Summit on April 3 and 4, Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen had to win Turkish support, as the alliance's leadership positions are filled by consensus among the now 28-nation military pact.
Ankara openly voiced objection to Rasmussen's candidacy based on his refusal to apologize for a 2006 uproar over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed. At the last summit, Rasmussen was elected to the top seat and will take it over in August from the Dutch secretary-general. This led to speculation that Ankara gave a nod to the Danish premier in return for securing a prominent position at the alliance but so far, Turkey has been left with nothing.
Critical appointments that never took place
"If a bargain is going to take place, the result should be calculated beforehand. The result in this case was the appointment of critical names from Turkey to the critical positions in NATO at the last summit but this did not happen," said Batu.Turkey's role in NATO, cooperation between NATO and the European Union, enlargement and NATO's mission in Afghanistan will figure high on the agenda of the three sessions of the Arı Movement this week. But earlier in the day, a facilitated discussion will take place to be attended by Onur Öymen of the main opposition Republican People's Party, or CHP, and Vahit Erdem of the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP.
"The crisis over the appointment of Rasmussen was tantamount to a diplomatic failure on the part of Turkey," Burak Ulusoy, international coordinator of the Arı Movement, told the Daily News. "The government's position opened to question Turkey's credibility not only in NATO but in the world," he added.
Afghanistan is among NATO's number one priorities. Ulusoy said Turkey has so far undertaken secondary missions in Afghanistan such as providing medical assistance and taking part in infrastructure projects. The country has 800 soldiers under the International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF, and is readying to take over the Kabul regional command.
Ankara, reluctant to send combat troops to the war-torn country, says security and stability in Afghanistan cannot be maintained through military means only. Ulusoy said Turkey may have blocked the possibility of sending combat forces to Afghanistan by giving a nod to Rasmussen and to France’s decision to return to the military wing of NATO. "But still this does not change the fact that Turkey failed during the election process of the NATO chief," he said.