The appointment of Ahmet Davutoglu as foreign minister is the clearest sign yet of the priority Turkey places on the Middle East, possibly at the expense of its troubled EU membership bid.
Few people outside Turkey and the diplomatic world will have heard of the quiet Middle East professor who devised Ankara’s policy of reengaging with its neighbors and improving regional stability. He replaces Ali Babacan.
The appointment was part of an expected Cabinet reshuffle after the ruling AK Party suffered its worst election results since it took power in 2002, when voters punished it in March municipal polls for failing to aid the fast-slumping economy.
Analysts say the concern will be whether Davutoglu, a respected but controversial diplomat who has expanded foreign policy beyond Turkey’s traditional Western-oriented focus, will have an appetite to accelerate EU membership talks.
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan keeps a tight grip on most areas but on foreign policy has long given a strong say to Davutoglu, his chief foreign policy adviser for the last seven years.
Turkey officially won EU membership negotiations status in 2005 but progress has since largely ground to a halt because of Ankara’s reluctance to address some sensitive issues, including recognizing the Greek Cypriot authorities, and growing opposition within European countries to Turkish membership.
“It is important that Davutoglu doesn’t drop the EU ball. A key reason the Middle East looks to Turkey is the country’s prospect of membership, the same goes for investors,” said Hugh Pope, an analyst for the International Crisis Group.
Erdogan and his AK Party have been accused by the secularist establishment, including army generals and judges, of having a hidden Islamist agenda. They reject the charges, saying Turkey needs to boost its regional ties.
“Erdogan is not a European, he is clearly more comfortable in the Muslim milieu but we have seen he can do the European stuff too,” a former US diplomat said. “He has a pragmatic agenda on maintaining power, and that means you go where the prospect for a payoff is the highest.”
The Middle East is also a priority for major powers and given the EU is facing its own economic woes, with difficulty in integrating new members, analysts say Turkey is playing smart.
Turkey has also recently boosted ties with the US, helped by US President Barack Obama’s visit.
“I don’t know who they [Turkey] can engage with in Europe so to criticize them that they are reorienting themselves from Europe is ridiculous,” the former diplomat said.
Turkey, a Muslim but officially secular democracy, has a unique position because of close ties with countries as varied as Iran, Israel and Pakistan. The Middle East is linked to Turkey by deep historical and cultural ties and was controlled by Ottoman Turks for centuries. Critics say Turkey wants to regain the role of its old empire.
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