The United States and Turkey

Thank you, and good morning everybody. I think it's always an accomplishment just to come to a breakfast, so I thank you all for being here. I also want to especially thank the ATAA and President Kaymakcalan for inviting me here today. Your organization, under his leadership, has done critical work and paid two important visits to Turkey in the last two years. My wife Maggie, here today, and I have been honored to have you in our home and your home in Ankara. So it is a special privilege for us to be back with you and with the family again today. As representatives of thousands of Turkish Americans from across the United States, you play an increasingly important role in our bilateral relationship. When one looks at the impressive ATAA web site, it is striking to see the level of activity, the growing political sophistication, and the expanding scholarship that is brought together under the ATAA umbrella. Your future looks brighter and brighter.

Ladies and gentlemen, September 11 [2001] made the War on Terrorism the number one priority for the United States, and also for your American embassy in Ankara. That effort also was global, but it focused immediately on Turkey’s neighborhood. From Korea to Kosovo and now to Kabul, the U.S. and Turkey have been partners in the quest for freedom, democracy, and peace. Again today, we still stand shoulder to shoulder with Turkey, as the President told AK Party Chairman Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday this week at the White House. It is that heritage of cooperation, that commitment to protect each other’s interests as we pursue our own, that will be the model for our actions in the future.

Now, by fully supporting UN Security Council Resolution 1441, Turkey has recognized the threat posed by the regime in Baghdad. Turkey’s leaders have repeatedly called on the Iraqi leadership to comply with the resolution. Mr. Erdogan repeated this in his conversation with the President this week. In turn, the President emphasized his desire for a peaceful disarmament by Iraq, but underlined as well that there must be disarmament.

To date, with many, many meetings and visits, including that of Mr. Erdogan this week, we have consulted in the fullest detail with Turkey about Iraq. We have already shared fully our thinking and briefings with Turkey’s new government and leadership. Mr. Erdogan and Mr. Gul have said that Turkey will cooperate and will make its decisions on Iraq based on developments in Iraq, the UN process, and in light of Turkey’s best interests. The U.S. supports that approach and looks forward to continued close consultation with Turkey. Both our countries, ladies and gentlemen, know how critical the stakes are in getting this right.

I want you to know that we have responded seriously to Turkey on each and every one of the issues of concern expressed to us by Ankara, whether regarding the future of northern Iraq, oil resources, control of oil areas, refugees, or economic impact. Should a crisis come because of Iraq's defiance, we will work to ensure that confidence in Turkey’s economy remains, and Turkey’s economic growth continues. We want the safety net under Turkey's economy put there after the crises of 2000 and 2001 to stay in place. We want Turkey to return to economic prosperity as soon as possible. We recognize Turkey's significant interests in the future of Iraq, and we are confident that by continuing to work together we will create the best conditions for final success.

Let me reflect for a few minutes on the November 3 election and the formation of the new government led by the AK Party. The election demonstrated the dynamism of Turkey's democratic process. Following a vigorous campaign among parties ranged across the full ideological spectrum, Turkish voters expressed their desire for reform by empowering the AK Party with a parliamentary majority. The AK Party victory reflected the mood of the Turkish people, not only in Istanbul and Ankara, but all across Anatolia.

Yes, it was a vote against practices of the past. But it was also a vote for something. It was a vote for change and new leadership to move Turkey towards Europe, to implement substantial reforms, and build a better life for Turkish citizens within the secular, democratic, constitutional framework. Mr. Erdogan, as you know, has said many times that the AKP is not a religious party but a conservative, democratic party. With the new government’s programs, he will now have the chance to show in practice that this is the case.

In the campaign, the AK message stressed five key elements: Turkey's EU membership goals, the need for economic growth, further political reforms, more effective government, and stronger anti-corruption efforts. As you know, several other parties, including the CHP, the parliamentary opposition party in the present formation, supported these points as well. Counting all their votes, fully two-thirds of Turkey’s electorate voted for these positive, progressive goals. The vote from the people seemed to be clear. Consequently, the United States views the November 3 election as evidence of Turkey's continuing capacity to promote change while remaining true to its democratic tradition.

But that is not to say that Turkey is the same now as it was before November 3. Many people I have been talking to in Ankara – politicians, journalists, bureaucrats, and citizens – see the November 3 election as a kind of turning point for Turkey. Many issues that have simmered below the surface in recent years are now being discussed more openly. In the meantime, I think it remains significant for us and for Turks that the government aims to keep the focus on the issues that voters cared about in the campaign.

Let us look for a moment at some of these key issues. Mr. Erdogan’s and Mr. Gul's energetic efforts to promote Turkey’s EU accession in European capitals have been supported by President Sezer, CHP leader Deniz Baykal, and the full range of Turkey’s business leaders and NGOs [non-governmental organizations]. I think Turks have a right to be very proud of this show of unity. The government has introduced a package of amendments that will bolster Turkey’s case with the EU and increase freedom for all of Turkey’s citizens. We welcome these developments, and we hope these steps will open wider the road to Turkey's EU membership as the EU makes its decisions in Copenhagen today and tomorrow. Ladies and gentlemen, Turkey is ready for Europe, and Turkey’s future is in Europe.

The United States is supporting strongly the initiative of UN Secretary General Annan to promote a comprehensive settlement for Cyprus. In the brief time remaining before the Copenhagen Summit ends, we will continue to work and to encourage the two sides to seize this historic opportunity. The task for Turkey and for the other concerned parties is to weigh carefully the positive impact of a settlement on their overall interests and take advantage of every avenue to success.

Turkey's economy is growing again now, slowly, sporadically in some cases, but growing. Interest rates have fallen, inflation is falling, and the lira has been strengthening. The new government has pledged to work closely with financial institutions to continue the reforms and encourage more growth, including through exports. Turkey has taken many tough decisions to reach this new start. More remain.

This path of responsible economic policies is Turkey's only way forward to prosperity. The Turkish people have paid a high price for inflation and past financial instability. They deserve to see economic benefits soon. Turmoil in the markets would undermine their hopes. We hope to see concrete measures that cause inflation rates to continue to fall and provide confidence to markets so that interest rates fall further and the debt burden eases. In this way, Turkey's coming economic growth will spread to all sectors of the society.

Accelerated privatization, streamlining of government, wringing corruption out of the system will transfer wealth and growth to the people, where it belongs. Turkey’s private sector is ready to create jobs, to boost confidence, and to encourage investment. In turn, the U.S. wants to see a new emphasis on trade opportunities. We want to avoid adding to Turkey's already heavy burden of debt. The Vice President pledged again on Tuesday to Mr. Erdogan that we will continue our efforts to pass legislation in the new Congress to expand trade with Turkey with the use of Qualifying Industrial Zones. We will also seek partnership with the new government and Turkey's world-class business sector to look for other ways to increase U.S.-Turkish trade.

You should know that Turkish-American joint economic efforts are already paying off. We launched on September 18 of this year a key link in the East-West energy corridor, the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, and we look forward to the launch of the Shah Deniz gas pipeline soon. Last spring, we organized seminars to facilitate U.S.-Turkish business partnerships in Afghanistan. We have already achieved important results, including U.S.-Turkish partnerships on three significant construction projects in Afghanistan. One of these is a joint Turkish-American partnership to build the new U.S. embassy in Kabul. We could not have better partners in such an enterprise than the Turks.

Regarding democratic reforms, the United States welcomes Mr. Erdogan's commitment to expanding freedoms in Turkey. By fully implementing the reform package passed by Parliament in August 2002, including the law on associations, trafficking in persons, and education and broadcast rights, the new government is bolstering Turkey's case for EU membership. But more important, it will help build the open society that the Turkish people aspire to and deserve. When people can exercise freely and peacefully their right to choose, whether in matters of personal faith or in politics or economically, they are building the enduring strength of the society.

Turkey's leadership for many years has condemned torture and abuse in official custody. Many officials in Turkey would welcome clear, unambiguous enforcement of the law because it would protect all those thousands of dedicated officers who want to respect the highest standards. We welcome the Interior Minister’s strong statements that torture will not be tolerated. Now is a perfect moment to show how strongly Turks demand for themselves the highest standards of professional conduct.

The same is true for corruption. A survey in Turkey in 2001 listed corruption second only to inflation as a concern of Turks who were surveyed. President Sezer has pointed out that corruption contributes to economic crises and social injustice. The new government rightly states that corruption slows economic growth. Mr. Erdogan has spoken eloquently of the connection between poverty and corruption, and has expressed his party's determination to make anti-corruption a priority issue for the new government.

In concluding, friends, I hope you see that in more and more areas, Turks appear determined to act to move their beloved country ahead to the brighter future they want for themselves and their children. This courage does not come from some external source; it is not in a regulation that someone wants Turks to obey; it cannot be found in some contract. It comes from the hearts of Turkish patriots who love their flag and their country as we love ours, and therefore this courage has the greatest strength to prevail and then to endure.

Turkey stands today on the road between Prague and Copenhagen. Turkey’s Europe won the Cold War, saved the peace, and built the foundation for a continent’s freedom. Now Turkey wants to join the Europe that builds the enduring prosperity, democracy, and respect for human values that flow from that historic victory.

Turkey is ready for Europe; it is now asking Europe to get ready for Turkey. By a positive signal in Copenhagen, the Europeans can recognize that a predominantly Muslim nation with the full range of traditional cultural values has a place at the table with the most developed and democratic states. President Bush strongly endorsed that vision of Turkey with Mr. Erdogan on Tuesday and in his many conversations with Europe’s leaders, including this week. There can be no mistake about our confidence in Turkey’s destiny.

U.S. friendship with Turkey is long-standing, deep, and broad. As I have noted, our friendship supports Turkey's strong, constitutional, secular democracy and the aspirations of the voters as expressed on November 3. Turkey's new political leaders have an extraordinary opportunity to lead their country toward its full potential through increased economic prosperity and expanded freedoms. The United States stands ready to support Turkey in this great endeavor. A strong, prosperous, democratic Turkey moving resolutely deeper into Europe is in the long-term interests of the United States, and most importantly reflects the overwhelming desire of the Turkish people. Working together, we can bring this vision closer to reality in the years ahead. Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen.