Ex-US official hails Turkey, Armenia for talks

Both the Turkish and Armenian leadership deserve great credit for taking enormous political and domestic risks, a former U.S. congressman has said in reference to the recent normalization talks between Yerevan and Ankara.

Former Rep. Robert Wexler, who served as chair of the U.S. Congress’ Caucus on U.S.-Turkish Relations, recently resigned from his congressional seat to lead the Center for Middle East Peace, a think tank. He spoke at the SETA Foundation as part of a Washington, D.C., event called “Model Partnership: Creative Approaches to U.S.-Turkey Relations.”

In his remarks, Wexler explained how little attention was being paid to the American-Turkish relationship when he was first elected to Congress in the late ’90s, then added that he defined the current relationship between the two countries as good.

The better relationship between Turkey and the U.S. was obvious, Wexler said, when he received “arguably the most positive briefing in years” at the U.S. State Department before his last visit to Turkey in January. “It was positive because American-Turkish relations are at a point of honesty – based on real, mutual interest and, at times, differences in perspective,” Wexler added.

Responding to a question about the ratification process of the protocols signed between Turkey and Armenia, the former congressman said he would like to advise Turkish leaders to stay one step, or even a half step, ahead in this process. Such an attitude, he said, would serve Turkey’s interests.

While accepting the importance of the U.S. administration’s reaction in terms of making a difference on the ground, Wexler said he still expects the State Department and the Pentagon to oppose the Armenian “genocide resolution,” which will be put to a vote in early March in the House Foreign Relations Committee, as they did under past administrations.

The U.S. administration’s attitude toward the resolution “remains to be seen,” he added.

Though some say Turkey’s foreign policy is shifting away from the West, Wexler said that he finds little convincing evidence that Turkey is moving to the East rather than staying anchored in the West.

Even though he disagrees with many foreign policies of the current Turkish administration, Wexler added, he finds Turkey more democratic and freer than it has been in decades, although he stressed that some issues, such as the situation of the media, are cause for alarm.

Wexler also discussed the strained relationship between Turkey and Israel and urged both governments to consider the importance of this relationship. “The Israelis ought to give strong consideration to a role Turkey can play on humanitarian efforts in Gaza. Though I don’t agree with Prime Minister [Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan’s narrative, his views in respect to Hamas, and with respect to what occurred in Gaza – I fundamentally disagree – but he is a passionate man on humanitarian issues in Gaza,” he said. “This could be a significant element of bridging the divide between Turkey and Israel.”

Responding to a question about the prospects of the Turkish mediation role between Syria and Israel, Wexler stated that for Turkey to take up that role again, the trust issues between Turkey and Israel need to be resolved and the parties have to work hard to regain each other’s confidence. Working toward this end, he added, is a two-way street.

/Hurriyet Daily News/