The United States-Turkish Relationship

Released on February 9, 2007
U.S. Department of State

Daniel Fried, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs
Digital Video Press Conference with Turkish Reporters Following Washington Visit of Foreign Minister Gül
Washington, DC and Ankara, Turkey
February 8, 2007

Assistant Secretary Fried: I'm certainly grateful for the opportunity. Good afternoon everyone and Merhaba.

Foreign Minister Gül is winding up several days of visits in Washington. He has met with Secretary Rice, he has met with the Vice President, he met with key congressional figures and leaders, and, of course, with the rather extensive friends of Turkey group in Washington. I was at a dinner last night hosted by the German Marshall Fund in his honor which featured a very good discussion.

The United States-Turkish relationship is both deep and broad. It is deep because our friendship goes back a very long way, and we work together extremely closely on key issues. It is broad because it touches a great number of issues.

The agenda with Turkey includes almost every issue in the Middle East and the greater Middle East. We discuss with the Turks Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran. We discuss the South Caucasus. Not just Nagorno- Karabakh but Georgia, Azerbaijan, energy. We discuss Central Asia, whether it's Turkmenistan and the changes that may be underway there or Kazakhstan and its future. We discuss energy independence and energy dependence and the problem of diversification of energy supplies.

And yes, of course we discussed the issue of the PKK, a terrorist organization which we believe should be eliminated and the threat to Turkey reduced to zero. In that context I was delighted to learn that European officials, French officials have arrested a large number of PKK operatives. This does, as has been reported, follow some close cooperation between the United States and Turkey. This cooperation is continuing. It will continue, and our cooperation is not limited to Western Europe, let me put it that way.

And yes, in anticipation of some of your questions, of course we discussed the resolution which has been introduced about Armenian-Turkish issues, about the Armenian, what its supporters call the Armenian Genocide. This bill does not have the support of the administration. The administration opposes this bill. We have made that clear. We are continuing to make it clear. Later today I am going up to meet with key figures in the Congress about this bill and I expect our efforts will continue.

The U.S.-Turkish relationship, though, is more important than any particular issue. We have dealt with areas in which we disagree, about Iraq in 2003, and other issues where we have had differences. But despite those differences we remain friends. We are linked by common values, and, critically, we are linked by common interests. Our relationship with Turkey is knit together not simply by sentiment but by strong, common interests, interests in a stable, more peaceful Middle East; interest in the spread of our common values in the South Caucasus and Central Asia. We have common interests in combating terrorism. Turkey has played a strong role in the promotion of reform in the broader Middle East. So our relationship with Turkey is a strong one, it is a relationship which can withstand the occasional disagreements because we are, after all, not children. We are not prone to obsess about areas where we disagree or squabble for the sake of squabbling, but to put any disagreements behind us and work on the basis of our common objectives.

Now, with that, I'll be happy to take any of your questions.

Media: Hi, I'm Evren Mesci working for Sabah Daily Newspapers.

Mr. Fried, you have talked of the relationship between Turkey and the United States and you talked about how strong it is. So you also talked about the resolution concerning the Armenian issue. How do you think it would affect the strategic partnership between Turkey and the U.S. if that resolution is passed from the Congress? And you said you are going to talk with the key figures at the Congress. What will be your thesis in order to convince them not to support this bill? Thank you.

Assistant Secretary Fried: I and I suspect more senior people in the U.S. administration than I will be discussing this.

Our argument is essentially this. Such a resolution will damage U.S.-Turkish relations and for no good purpose. Such a resolution would not in fact advance Turkish-Armenian dialogue and it would not advance the process of Turkey's examination of its own past.

I've always been of the view that democratic countries need to take a hard look at the dark spots in their own history. And by the way, I start with my own country. We do have dark spots in the United States. Our past includes a past in which slavery was an institution that existed in this country for centuries. We fought a civil war to end it and still its affects linger to the present day. That is a dark spot and we had to confront it honestly.

Our treatment in the 20th Century of Japanese-Americans in World War II; our treatment of American Indians were dark spots in our history. We had to deal with this honestly and painfully.

Our view is that Turkey is going through a process of looking at its own history with Armenians. The killings in 1915 were horrific. They need to be looked at honestly and without taboos, but not because Americans say Turkey should look at this. It should be looked at because Turks in the process of building a democracy and deepening a democracy are looking at these issues for their own reasons.

I think this process is going on in Turkey. It is painful, it is emotional. There are nationalist forces and it was an extreme nationalist, it seems, who murdered Hrant Dink and there are millions of Turks who reject this dark legacy of nationalism including the hundreds of thousands of Turks who marched in the streets of Istanbul at the Hrant Dink funeral saying things like we are all Armenians, we are all Hrant Dink, which I interpret as Turkey's rejection of nationalism.

So my argument to the Congress will be that this natural, painful process in Turkey needs to be allowed to unfold with encouragement and support, but not pressure from the outside. That will be my argument.

Now I don't expect that everyone will accept it, but I will make the case as best I can. And it won't be just me. There will be more senior people than I making the case and pointing out that Turkish-U.S. relations should not be damaged for no good purpose.

But this is obviously a very emotional issue and I believe it is in Turkey's interest for its own reasons to take steps to examine its past and to reach out to Armenians worldwide and to Armenia despite the fact that Turks don't like all of the things that Armenian communities say.

Long answer, I'm sorry, but it's a complicated question.

Media: Sevil Kucukosum from Aksam Daily. Regarding the murder of Hrant Dink, do you think that this murder can create an opportunity for reconciliation or normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia? Do you have any message to both sides?

Assistant Secretary Fried: It is not for the United States to tell Turkey what to do. I was deeply saddened by the murder of Hrant Dink. I felt the reaction in Turkey was the reaction of an honest and democratic people, and the reaction I have in mind is the reaction of horror and revulsion. The reaction of Turks who took to the streets to identify with Hrant Dink as a man who refused to indulge in nationalism but believed in a Turkey which embraces a multi-cultural cosmopolitan identity for itself. I thought that was a healthy, strong reaction.

Is there an opportunity for reconciliation? Perhaps, perhaps there is. It seems clear that in Turkey the society as a whole, as much as one can generalize, has rejected nationalism or is rejecting nationalism, and I hope that Turkey's leaders will build on this strong legacy of tolerance in at least that part of the society and reach out to Armenia and to Armenians.

This is not easy. It's easy for me to sit here and say things like this. It's hard to do the right thing. But I think through strong leadership it is possible to do this and I hope that Turkey takes advantage of the opportunity.

Media: Mr. Fried, I have two questions. One, in the Turkish press there is a feeling that Gül's visit was a failure, and probably because we were expecting lots of things. You are in a better position than us to see how the American administration sees this visit, the results of the visit. Also, the friends of Turkey in Washington, the American Turkish Council, how they are receiving the results of this visit.

The second thing is we are hearing from the American administration that Turkey is no longer in a position to listen from Washington, but in a position to advise Washington on certain issues. You counted Afghanistan, Central Asia, Iran and Lebanon. I wonder if really Turkish Foreign Ministry has things to advise to Washington about, for example, Israeli-Palestinian relations or Lebanon.

Assistant Secretary Fried: Our relationship with Turkey is certainly a two-way street. By that I mean that we welcome Turkish advice. Turkey has a lot of experience in the Middle East. It has contacts, connections. It has a deep knowledge of the history, from the Ottoman period, and we welcome Turkish advice. And yes, Foreign Minister Gül is not only an eloquent person, but he gave us advice on issues like Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan, and frankly, that's welcomed.

Our relationship is not one where Turkey simply is a passive object and receives advice. No one who has the slightest understanding of the relationship would believe that. We welcome Turkish input and advice and it tends to be pretty sound advice at that.

I don't understand how any Turkish newspaper could call Foreign Minister Gül's visit a failure. I suspect that such articles, like similar articles that appear in the United States about Secretary Rice from time to time, are a function of domestic politics rather than reality. I suspect that. I haven't read these articles.

But look, this is the real world. In the real world when a foreign minister comes to visit he and his counterparts go over a series of issues. Issues on which they agree, issues on which they may have differences, issues on which they need to take common action.

It was a successful visit in that we heard directly from Turkey issues of concern to Turkey. It was a success because we were able to discuss common objectives with respect to a number of issues. Foreign Minister Gül presented Secretary Rice with some concrete ideas which frankly we find very valuable, and we are going to work together with Turkey on that basis.

It is also true that Foreign Minister Gül was very eloquent and strong in presenting Turkey's concerns about the Armenian Resolution and about the PKK, and we welcomed this. It does no good for Turks not to tell us what's on their mind and what's troubling them. We welcome this.

So it was a good visit. We appreciate this dialogue. Our dialogue with Turkey is intense. Under Secretary Burns was recently in Ankara. General Ralston has been traveling to the region. He's our envoy for countering and combating the PKK. Our Economic Partnership Commission is taking place this week in Turkey. Policy planning talks will be held later. Our dialogue with Turkey is very rich and there is a lot to talk about.

Media: Mr. Fried, my name is Hilal from Radikal daily. Actually I'd like to ask a question about combating the PKK in Northern Iraq, but also nowadays in Central Europe, in Belgium, in France there are some operations, and members and leaders of the PKK have been captured through this. Is there any direct link between these operations and that visit, Mr. Gul's visit United States? Just how do you evaluate this issue? How do you see these operations [inaudible]? Thank you.

Assistant Secretary Fried: I doubt that the French police arrested PKK terrorists to help the atmospherics around the visit of the Turkish Foreign Minister in Washington. We appreciate our French friends' efforts, but the timing is clearly a coincidence.

But it is true that the United States and Turkey have been working with our West European friends about the problem of the PKK. And it is true that West European governments understand the nature of the problem, and these arrests have been made. This is good news. These aren't the first arrests; I doubt they will be the last arrests.

But you are also correct when you suggest that the problem of the PKK is obviously not confined to Western Europe. It's also a problem in Northern Iraq. We are cooperating with Turkey to deal with that problem.

Solving it will require cooperation between Turkey and Iraq, both the Iraqi central government and the Iraqi Kurdistan regional government and I think this cooperation is moving forward.

We are working together on projects like the closing of the Makhmour camp which had become, frankly, very heavily infiltrated by the PKK. This process is underway now.

There are other things which might be done, but they are of a nature that should not be discussed with the media openly.

Media: According to some latest news USA has started a huge operation in Iraq, but on the other hand, some news agencies and a very close person to Prime Minister el Maliki declare that there is no such operation. So what is the truth? To whom are we to believe, has America started an operation?

Assistant Secretary Fried: The Iraqi government with our support has begun an operation to try to improve security in Baghdad, if that's the operation you're referring to. That has started today. The efforts will intensify. President Bush has made the case to the American people that although Iraq is in grave difficulties to withdraw from Iraq, to pull out would lead to a situation far worse than it is at present, which is bad enough. To help stabilize Iraq and give the central government time to establish itself we need to help the Iraqis get a handle on the violence in Baghdad. That's what we are intending to do. The surge, as it's called, the reinforcement of U.S. forces in Baghdad, is intended to support the Iraqi government which is launching this operation.

Turkey has played a supportive role working with Iraq. One of Foreign Minister Gül's messages throughout his trip is that despite some of the differences between the United States and Turkey, Iraqis' success will be Turkey's success. Iraqis' failure will be Turkey's failure and Turkey has played a good role.

An Iraq which is more stable, more united - albeit federal, but one country - is apt to be a better neighbor for Turkey and a less hospitable place for the PKK.

Media: Zeynep Gurcanli from Vatan Daily Newspapers. You said in your opening remarks that the Western European operation towards PKK was not limited to Western Europe. So can we expect also a new operation in Northern Iraq? And also what is the U.S. government position for a possible cross-border operation, military operation, of Turkey towards PKK in Northern Iraq?

Assistant Secretary Fried: To state the obvious but to start from it, of course there is a problem of the PKK presence in Northern Iraq. Of course this problem has to be dealt with. We are discussing with Turkey and our Iraqi friends this problem. I'm not going to say any more in this channel about it.

I understand in the press there has been speculation about unilateral Turkish cross-border operations. I understand perfectly Turkish frustration with the PKK bases and camps in Northern Iraq. This is understandable. But the responsibility for the outcomes of such an operation is something Turkey needs to think about.

It's easy to talk about it, but the consequences can be not what Turkey intends. So our view is that it is better for Turkey to cooperate with the regional, the Kurdish regional authorities and with the Central government and with us, and it is very fair for Turkey to say that this cooperation should be meaningful, concrete and yield results, but that's our view.

Media: Mr. Fried, Gulsen Solaker from Anatolian Agency. You say that you welcome the advices of Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul on some issues. Is the United States listening also to the advices about the Kirkuk issue? What is the latest position of United States government about the Kirkuk referendum?

Assistant Secretary Fried: We understand Turkey's interest in Kirkuk. Ultimately this is an issue for Iraqis to decide. They have constitutional provisions which require a referendum, but we think it's very fair for Turkey to express its views and its concerns about this. This issue has come up. It's something which Turkey should feel free to express its concerns directly to the Iraqis and to the Kurds. The solution will hopefully be one that contributes to stability in Iraq, not detracts from it.

As I said, ultimately it's an Iraqi decision. It's their country, not our country. But Turkey has every right to make its views known. We found it interesting to hear the Foreign Minister's arguments about this.

Media: Conxita Isik from ANKA News Agency. There has been a problem between Turkey and the Greek Cypriots regarding the latest attempts to launch oil exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean. I would like to know your position regarding this.

Assistant Secretary Fried: I've heard about this. I'm not familiar with the details of the oil problem, but I will say this. We supported the Annan Plan a couple of years ago because we believed it was the best chance to reunite the island as a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation. We also appreciate, frankly, the role of the Turkish Cypriot leader Talat in strongly supporting reunification. I think it is terrible that this opportunity was missed. There we are, however. We think in the meantime it's important to end the isolation of the Turkish Cypriot community to help that economy develop and to support reunification.

Now that there is a Turkish-Cypriot leadership that supports reunification, that does not support separatism, it is the time now to support this leadership in a way consistent with our position that it ought to be a reunited island. This has been our position, we don't make a secret of it, and we welcome the efforts to increase contacts between the two communities.

Media: Mr. Fried, at the beginning of your speech you said that Mrs. Pelosi was planning to meet Minister Gül, also. Do you make any effort to (audience noise) - Sorry, I understood like that maybe. We know that Minister Gül wants to meet Ms. Pelosi. Do you make any effort to gather them? And just how do you solve this crisis?

Assistant Secretary Fried: Speaker Pelosi and Foreign Minister Gül did not meet. We think that such a meeting would have been a good idea. The Speaker, let me put it this way, does not always listen to all the advice from the administration. She does represent a different political party. She is, after all, now I suppose the leader of the opposition in Congress.

We do not support this resolution. We will make efforts to see that this resolution does not pass. That is an unequivocal statement of the administration's position. I hope that Turkey, without regard to this resolution, makes every effort to reach out to Armenia and Armenians and makes every effort to examine its own history. Not because of outside pressure, but because this is appropriate for Turkey's own development as a democracy.

The debate in Turkey about its history, the position of writers such as Orhan Pamuk, the position of intellectuals, the participation of Turkish scholars in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission some six years ago is all the result not of any outside pressure. Orhan Pamuk doesn't care at all what the Americans think. It's the result of internal Turkish processes. I applaud these, and I hope that Turkey for its own reasons will do everything it can to reach out to Armenia and Armenians.

Great nations are not afraid to confront the dark spots of their past. The United States had to do so and we were not our best selves, we were not true to our best traditions until we had done so.

I believe the same is true of all countries. I believe the same is true, therefore, of Turkey. I hope Turkey does this not to please the United States but because of itself and this is something the United States can best influence by being a friend, not by passing resolutions. That is my view and I hope I can help convince the Congress of it.

Ankara Public Affairs Officer Daniel Sreebny: Thank you very much for the time. We'd love to keep you longer but we know you are just at the start of a very busy day. We appreciate this and we hope you'll come out and visit sometime soon.

Assistant Secretary Fried: I love my visits to Ankara. I love my visits to Istanbul, as well. I look forward to my next trip to Turkey. Thank you.

Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.