By Joe Parkinson
One of the eldest statesmen of international diplomacy, former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, on Thursday offered some pearls of wisdom to one of the newest entrants to great power politics, Turkey.
Speaking at a conference held by TPG Capital in Istanbul, Mr. Kissinger’s gravelly top line was that Turkey will fill part of a regional void left by the U.S. as it withdraws from Iraq and, eventually, Afghanistan. But Ankara, said Mr. Kissinger, should be careful not to cross Washington’s vital interests in the region.
“Turkey’s influence is growing at a time that the U.S. is withdrawing from Iraq and Afghanistan, plus Libya is opening up – so Turkey can play a significant role,” Mr. Kissinger said. “It shouldn’t run across interests that the U.S. considers imperative. I expect relations will be constructive.”
As evidence that the U.S.-Turkish relationship remained on a sound foundation, despite the potential for competition, Mr. Kissinger singled out Turkey’s recent decision to host a missile-defense radar, part of a U.S.-inspired system designed to protect the North Atlantic Treaty Organization from Iran.
“I see this as an expression of the fact that on some issues the U.S. and Turkey have parallel interests,” Mr. Kissinger said.
Relations between Turkey and Iran, which share a border, have become significantly complicated recently by the violence in Syria – a Turkish neighbor and Iranian client state – and by the rapidly shifting environment created by the Arab Spring. Only last year, Turkey incurred Washington’s wrath by voting against U.S.-backed sanctions on Iran at the United Nations Security Council.
Turkey continues to say that the radar isn’t directed at any one country.
Addressing the meltdown in relations between Turkey and Washington’s other strong ally in the region, Israel, Mr. Kissinger suggested both sides were at fault in their dispute over whether Israel should apologize for killing eight Turks and a U.S. citizen of Turkish extraction onboard the Mavi Marmara aid ship, as it sought to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza last year.
“Both sides will have to make an adjustment in terms of their position – this is not just a problem of [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu. People know what the problem is, they know what the solution is, but they can’t bring themselves to do it,” Mr. Kissinger said.
blogs.wsj.com
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