Foreign policy
Güncelleme Tarihi:
-Turkey-EU Relations: 'Eurobarometer” which conducts EU's surveys recently made public the results of a comprehensive study carried out in EU member or candidate countries, affirming that only 47 percent ofthe EU members think that Turkey has a “positive image”. It suggested that this ratio was below 30 percent in countries like Finland and Austria.
'Eurobarometer” also indicated that the EU lost esteem of the Turkish people.
-Busy agenda for 2006: Turkey, which will start full membership talks following the conclusion of screening process, will intensify efforts in 2006 to promote itself in EU countries.
However sources say negative approach of Austria, which will take over EU's rotating presidency from Britain in the first half of the year, may lead to some problems.
-Turkey-US relations: The problematic climate in Turkish-U.S. relations that started before the war in Iraq dissipated in 2005 and bilateral visits were settled on a more sound basis.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the United States three times following the visit of U.S. State Secretary Condoleezze Rice to Turkey in February.
Rice also welcomed President Mehmet Ali Talat of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) during his visit to Washington D.C.
On the other hand, U.S. executives warned that a possible cross border operation by Turkish troops in north of Iraq may lead to new problems in the region.
Prospects of an U.S. military operation against the terrorist PKK organization in northern Iraq seems low at present. However U.S. executives intensified pressure on European countries to cut financial resources of PKK.
Manwhile an exchange of new Ambassadors between the two countries took place when 2005 draws to an end. Experienced diplomat Ross Wilson was appointed as U.S. Ambassador to Ankara to replace Eric Edelman who was assigned as U.S. Undersecretary of Defense.
Nabi Sensoy, another experienced Turkish diplomat will go to Washington D.C. to relieve veteran Faruk Logoglu at the end of December.
Turkish-Russian Relations: 2005 has been a landmark in Turkish-Russian relations. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin met 4 times during the year, and talked on the phone many times.
Blue Stream natural gas pipeline between Russia and Turkey was formally inaugurated in a ceremony held in Black Sea city of Samsun on November 17th. Erdogan, Putin, and Italian PM Silvio Berluconi attended the ceremony.
The trade volume which Turkey and Russia endeavor to increase to 25 billion USD in 2008, for the first time increased by 50 percent in the first 8 months of 2005 and reached 9.5 billion USD.