Newsletter - January/February 2010

Welcome to the tenth edition of the CFT newsletter.

CFT and TEAS hold roundtable with Azerbaijani Energy Minister
CFT and the European Azerbaijan Society (TEAS) organised a half-day meeting on Jan 27 to discuss Turkey's and Azerbaijan's roles in securing reliable energy supplies, as well as opportunities for investment in both countries with a focus on the domestic energy market. Keynote speaker was Natiq Aliyev, Minister of Energy and Industry of Azerbaijan. The discussion was in an intimate roundtable format with a select group of participants: policymakers, investors and representatives from the energy industry. Details are in this Press Release.

Fundraising Dinner for Srebrenica, Bosnia-Herzegovina
The Fund for Refugees, a charity aiming to build homes for the survivors of the Srebrenica massacre, is holding a fundraising dinner in London on Feb 23. Shadow Foreign Secretary Rt Hon William Hague MP will be the keynote speaker. Tickets are priced at £250pp. Please contact us (info@cfot.org.uk) for more information.

British Foreign Policy towards Turkey
In response to a question from Nicholas Soames MP, asking what aims and objectives had been set for UK foreign policy in respect of Turkey, Foreign Office minister Chris Bryant answered:

“The UK has four key objectives as regards to Turkey. Firstly, to support Turkey's EU accession process, which strongly benefits both the EU and Turkey. Secondly, we support internal reform in Turkey to enhance the democratic process to protect human rights especially those of minorities. Thirdly, to engage with Turkey on regional issues, which include Cyprus, Afghanistan, the Middle East peace process, Iran, and Iraq. Fourthly, we aim to co-operate on key international issues, such as climate change and energy security.”

Turkey Hosts International Summits on Afghanistan in Istanbul
Turkey hosted two high-level international summits on Afghanistan in Istanbul, preparing the groundwork for the conference on Afghanistan in London on 28th January. The Turkish, Afghan and Pakistani Presidents met in Istanbul on 25th January for the fourth trilateral summit of its kind which aimed to improve relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Turkish government also hosted a regional summit on Afghanistan the following day, with the aim of ensuring regional commitment to sustainable peace in Afghanistan.

The regional summit was attended by top-level policymakers from countries in the region, Britain and the US, as well as the representatives of international organisations. Britain was represented by Foreign Secretary David Miliband. Turkish officials have been working behind the scenes to improve relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Turkey has also promised to deploy a further 1000 troops to Afghanistan, in addition to the 1700 already deployed.

Turkish Foreign Minister visits Britain
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu visited Britain on 12th January, holding talks with Foreign Secretary David Miliband in London. One of the main subjects of the talks was Afghanistan while the issues of Iran’s nuclear programme and Cyprus were also discussed.

On Afghanistan, Mr Davutoglu said that Turkey could play a key role in helping reconciliation within Afghanistan due to its historical cultural and ethnic links with the country. Mr Davutoglu also called on Britain to actively engage in accelerating the negotiations over Cyprus, saying, "We stand at a historical turning point in the Cyprus issue. We expect that all sides make positive contributions to talks in Cyprus...we have reached an historic moment in the negotiations. That's one reason for coming to London now.” Mr Miliband said that 2010 was a "key year" and an opportunity for Cypriots to make "historic steps forward".

On Iran, Mr Davutoglu said: "The situation in Iran is not good, it is not compatible with our vision. We don't want nuclear proliferation in the region.” However, he added: “I am not pessimistic, as long as we do not make statements against each other,” and emphasised that Turkey would be willing to facilitate engagement with Iran.

Mr Miliband spoke of "close partnership and friendship" between Britain and Turkey and their "shared goals", and said that with Turkey now a member of the UN Security Council, the two countries will be working "even more closely together".

Turkish EU Negotiator promotes Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture at Viennese Ball
Turkish State Minister and Chief EU Negotiator Egemen Bagis attended the traditional ball of Austrian businessmen in Vienna on 23rd January. The ball at Hofburg Palace was held under the theme 'Istanbul, 2010 European Capital of Culture, in Vienna.'

Brigitte Jank, host of the ball and chair of the Economic Chamber of Vienna, said that Istanbul was chosen as this year's theme as it is the European capital of culture in 2010. Taking the floor at the ball, Egemen Bagis invited guests to visit the city. Istanbul will host more than 500 cultural events this year as the European capital of culture.

Younger people more supportive of Turkish EU membership
Young Europeans back Turkey's EU bid more than elder ones, according to results of a new survey. The survey entitled ‘How Turkey's EU bid was seen in five European countries: France, Britain, Germany, Spain and Poland’ is a joint project by Bogazici University's Centre for European Studies, the Autonomous University of Madrid and the University of Granada. The results showed that age and generation were the most significant variables when it comes to views on Turkey’s EU accession.

Bogazici University Professor Hakan Yilmaz said: "Support grows as age goes down, and it becomes less as age rises. When we look at the countries, support is over 50 percent in Spain and Poland, and around 46 percent in Britain. However, it is quite a lot less in Germany and France...culture is one of the most important factors that defines perception of Turkey...the most important argument for those who culturally do not want Turkey in the EU is that religion and religion-based differences keep Turkey out of Europe's cultural circle." Professor Yilmaz said half of university graduates supported Turkey's EU bid but support diminished among respondents with a lower level of educational achievement.

Editors: Emel Akan, Shenaz Bunglawala, Onur L Cetin and Eral Yilmaz
Assistant Editor: Peter Cannon