Talking with Turkey

Ottawa Citizen
November 28, 2006 Tuesday
Final Edition

Some 25,000 Turks hit the streets of Istanbul this weekend to protest
the visit of Pope Benedict XVI. That's good news. Not the protest
itself, but the fact that only 25,000 people took part in a city of
10 million. The Turkish "street" is perhaps more reasonable than
people think.

True, other protests are planned and Benedict will be under a massive
security blanket during his four-day trip. But the pontiff is working
hard to improve Christian-Muslim relations. On Sunday he sent
"cordial greetings" of "esteem and sincere friendship" to "the dear
Turkish people." As a welcome show of good will, Benedict will visit
the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, becoming only the second pope to set
foot in a mosque, after John Paul II in 2001.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for his part, has been
able to "find time" to meet the Pope today at Ankara airport.
Otherwise, Mr. Erdogan, en route to a NATO summit in Latvia, will be
absent for the duration of the Pope's trip. The prime minister
insisted his absence was no snub and that the Pope was welcome in
Turkey, though he cautioned that "whoever comes here must show
respect for the Prophet Muhammad."

Mr. Erdogan's awkward, somewhat conflicted attitude toward the Pope's
visit is suggestive of Turkey's general ambivalence about the
non-Muslim world. Turkey, though, is country of sufficient strategic
interest that the West needs very much to nurture this relationship.

Sometimes this is hard to do. Turkey's human-rights record is shaky.
The country's refusal to admit the Armenian genocide is unfortunate.
The stubborn demand for an end to the isolation of Northern Cyprus,
the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state that only Turkey recognizes, is
putting the country's accession into full membership in the European
Union on hold yet again.

Yet we need Turkey on our side. Turkey is a strong counterpoint to
the geopolitical ambitions of Iran and Syria. As a Muslim country
committed to the separation of mosque and state, Turkey is a buttress
against religious fundamentalism in the region. Turkey has its flaws
to be sure, but it remains a functioning democracy built upon a
population that is mainly Muslim.

Western leaders should never surrender their prerogative to speak
plainly to the Turkish government on matters of conscience. But as
with any mature relationship, and we see this in the dialogue with
countries such as Russia and China, the criticism ought to be
balanced with positive and constructive incentives.

The pope has chosen the right path by visiting the Blue Mosque. It is
a gesture of respect. Talking with Turkey about its place in the
European Union must continue. At the end of the day, the benefits of
having Turkey firmly within the western orbit justify the efforts
needed to keep the relationship healthy. If there is one country that
can demonstrate the compatibility of Islam and democracy, it will be Turkey.