ANKARA (Hurriyet)—Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Monday unveiled a new foreign policy for Turkey, building on his original “Strategic Depth: doctrine introduced in an academic book a decade ago.
Davutoglu disclosed his new manifesto to 200 of Turkey’s diplomats who had returned to Ankara for a major Foreign Ministry seminar, titled “Democracy, Security and Stability: Outlook for 2010 in the world and in Turkish foreign policy.” The weeklong meeting is the second gathering of its kind.
“We have a lot to say in the international arena. And there are plenty of big nations who will hear us,” Davutoglu told the ambassadorial conference.
The foreign minister outlined five essential planks for future Turkish diplomacy: mental adaptation; self-confidence; cohesion between national and universal discourse; foreign policy coordination at home with relevant ministries and institutions; and the ability to read universal developments vertically and horizontally.
In his address, Davutoglu referred to a well-known quote from the founder of the Turkish Republic Mustafa Kemal Ataturk: “There is no defense of a line, but there is a defense of the surface. That surface is the entire homeland.” The leader was describing his strategy in geometric and military terms before the Battle of Sakarya in 1921 and in response to criticism for telling troops to retreat in the face of advancing Greek forces.
The minister reinterpreted the quote, saying: “There is no diplomacy of a line but there is the diplomacy of the surface. That surface is the entire globe.”
He later gave an anecdote of the maps all over the world to picture Turkey’s location in the world. “All maps are subjective. When you take a look at it from Japan, Japan seems to be at the center and when you take a look at it from the United Kingdom, it seems in the center. However, whatever map you take a look at, Turkey is always at the center.”
“We must have a message for the world. We are in the position of doing justice to this region. There is no other country in the world that has the same location as us. We must be active in these five, six regions simultaneously. Turkey’s diplomacy can only be compared with that of five or six countries in the world,” Davutoglu said.
Any type of crisis could be an opportunity for Turkey to raise its international standing, the minister said, adding that the country was not afraid of crises as long as it had a strong vision.
He emphasized diplomatic problems could be overcome not only through “our powerful military” but also through “our soft power,” stressing that hard power and soft power must be in harmony just like an orchestra.
After drawing an image of a strong Turkey based on a strong vision, Davutoglu predicted that Turkey would be an EU member by 2023, integrated with its neighbors, influential and active in the global arena and a respected country among the leading 10 economies of the world.
He envisioned a future foreign policy that would be original, self-confident, rational and honorable but said the diplomatic language employed should be understood by all, both at home and abroad. “The language used in Ankara must be understood in Mardin but it must also be understood in Washington and Tokyo.”
He addressed the ministry’s problems by comparing them to other foreign ministries in the world, saying Turkey had fewer diplomats and fewer funds for its Foreign Ministry.
“We have a total of 1,464 diplomats while this number is 5,809 in France, 5,700 in Britain and 2,541 in Spain,” Davutoglu said, adding that he had informed the Cabinet and the prime minister of the need to expand the Foreign Ministry’s budget.
Oh, I am hanging on every word that this wise, wise man, Davutolgu, says. He is the smartest man in the world. And Turks are the smartest people in the world. Turkey is a very important country. It’s actually the best country in the world, isn’t it? Turks founded all of the world’s civilizations, didn’t they? Ataturk said that, under his “Sun” theory, all languages were derived from ancient Turkish. In fact, all the ancient ruins in Turkey – they were actually built by “ancient Turks”, right? Turkey is the leader in the region. The United States of Turkey. It wants “zero problems” with its neighbors. What a genuis of a policy – imagine the deep, deep intellect it took to conceive of having no problems with your neighbors! Leave it to Turkey to come up with that policy.
Turkey will now take its place on the world stage and show them uppity Europeans just what a great country Turkey is. Turkey is actually more European than Europe. I bet you didn’t know that. Yes, the center of Europe is actually Ankara. Most people don’t know that.
I now leave you with the hallowed words of Ataturk: “Peace in the world, peace at home” and “Happy is he who calls himself a Turk.”
Davutoglu is recommending “military power” and ” soft power”… either way there is power involved in running Turkey. There are no such things as “human rights” or individual rights. “No other country in the world has the same location as us”… yes, wasn’t it a good idea to take over those Armenian lands? What a smart decision that was. You kill the natives, you take over the lands, Genius! ..and you end up being the smartest people in the world, who happen to have the most unique location in the world! I wonder if Turkey will ever have the gull to snap out of its imaginary, fake world and face its own history and the truth… until then all the likes of Davutoglu can do, is come up with “new and smart” foreign policies every few years meant to only change the blanket covering all the dirt barried below… What a fake and unhealthy way for a country to exist! He is envisioning an “original and self confident” foreign policy. The most original foreign policy for Turkey would be to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, make reparations, and move on … Nothing else will repair the “self confidence” of a criminal better than redemption!
yeah thank you Dave he really has all the answers what ingenuous depth he has and foresight wow! please the world arena is missing out and needs this surface and its diplomats oh yes and its language that will be understood by all to direct them yeah Turkish will be the new English yeah. Iranians don’t call them esh for nothing.