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26 March 2001
U.S. Ambassador Remarks to Turkey at American-Turkish Council
"Turkey is at the heart of every regional issue of concern to the United States," and ties between the two countries "are strong and are growing stronger as we continue to build our partnership in the 21st Century," U.S. Ambassador to Turkey W. Robert Pearson said in Washington March 26 at a conference on U.S.-Turkish relations. Pearson's brief tour d'horizon of the bilateral relationship touched on the various political, economic, and social issues affecting Turkey today:
The 20th annual conference on U.S.-Turkish relations was sponsored by the American-Turkish Council, the American Friends of Turkey, and the Turkish-U.S. Business Council of the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey. Following is a transcript of Ambassador Pearson's remarks:
Remarks Of U.S. Ambassador W. Robert Pearson
I am very happy to be here. [In Turkish.]
I am very aware, ladies and gentlemen, that being the fourth speaker at a luncheon is one of life's most precarious positions. And the other advantage I have is that in almost every instance I have followed Ambassador Ilkin. Mr. Roberts, Ambassador Ilkin, General Scowcroft, Mr. Ongor, Mr. McCurdy, my predecessor Ambassador Parris, other ambassadors, distinguished visitors, ladies and gentlemen. I am delighted to be here, and I want to congratulate ATC on presenting another successful conference. The breadth and level of American and Turkish representation here this week is an impressive testament to the importance of U.S.-Turkey relations. I can assure you that our ties are strong and are growing stronger as we continue to build our partnership in the 21st Century. That bilateral relationship was first built on a shared geo-strategic vision of global security challenges. The risks have changed, but our common goals of preserving regional stability and expanding democratic values remain solid. Moreover, security today means energy development, commercial dynamism, economic prosperity, and well-educated and informed youth with hopes for the future. I have been in Turkey for six months, and I have been extremely impressed by the willingness of the Turkish people and government to tackle tough challenges. This is not a nation content with resting on past achievements. Turks, like Americans, look to the future and increasingly are demanding a better tomorrow. Let me give you some examples. Turkey on March 19 approved its national plan to meet EU accession criteria. The national plan includes agreement on issues that used to be difficult for Turks even to discuss. As such, it represents a very good effort to strengthen Turkey's political and economic ties to Europe and to demonstrate to Europe the value of Turkey's EU membership. For our part, the United States has long supported Turkey's EU aspirations because we believe that membership will create a positive synergy for both Turkey and the EU, and this in turn will be good for U.S.-Turkey relations. The drive for EU accession has sparked new interest in progress on human rights reforms and constitutional changes. We welcome continued progress. And, while the program itself has focused on certain measures, we believe that the impetus for reform is and will continue to come from the Turkish people's own demands for change. This is a drive from within. This is a recognition that Turkey is strengthened, not threatened, by these changes. Europe sometimes forgets that Turkey managed to protect NATO's southern flank while combating a terrorist insurgency and living in what Turks rightly call a "tough neighborhood." Again, there is no need to remind us. America has fought side-by-side with Turkey from Korea to Kosovo, and there is no country more pleased than the United States that Turkey has all but won its battle with the terrorist PKK organization. We believe that Turkey's proposed contributions to the EU Rapid Reaction Force will help bond NATO and the EU in their new security architecture. And we strongly support Turkey's goal of adequate participation for non-EU NATO states in ESDI decision-shaping, especially for scenarios involving future EU actions in or around Turkey's neighborhood. Turkey's outreach is not limited to the EU. Turkey's Foreign Minister Ismail Cem and Greek Foreign Minister Papandreou are making real progress in their efforts to improve Turkish-Greek relations. On Cyprus, we strongly urge Turkey to take steps to return to the UN-sponsored talks as soon as possible. Both governmental and private institutions in Turkey have begun efforts to establish a factual historical record that answers both Armenian and Turkish questions about the turbulent years of 1915-1919 in an atmosphere of complete transparency and objectivity. We support these and other efforts for closer ties between Turks and Armenians. In the Caucasus and Central Asia, Turkey has initiated programs to bolster Georgian defenses, discourage the spread of anti-secular regimes and strengthen the ties of states like Uzbekistan with the West. Turkey's growing economic and defense relationship with Israel and its long-standing ties with the Palestinians make it an active player in Middle East peace negotiations. The United States and Turkey continue to agree that Saddam Hussein can never again be allowed to threaten his neighbors. We are working with Turkey to craft a new sanctions regime that denies Saddam money to buy weapons of mass destruction while improving commercial trade prospects for Turkey, especially Turkey's Southeast. Now if this brief tour d'horizon leaves you with the impression that Turkey is at the heart of every regional issue of concern to the United States, ladies and gentlemen, you are absolutely correct. But there's even more. Turkey's role in developing the Caspian Basin's oil and gas potential perhaps best illustrates where we share a common vision and a determination to shape the future. A year ago, many still questioned whether there was enough oil to fill the BTC pipeline; today, with the discovery of the Kashagan field in Kazakhstan, experts now wonder if BTC will be enough to handle expected flows. In the gas sector, Azerbaijan and Turkey on March 12 signed a visionary gas sales agreement that will add a gas leg to the east-west energy corridor. I just came from Shepherdstown, West Virginia, where Ambassador Ilkin, Undersecretary Tuzmen and I and others took part in a U.S.-Turkey Business Forum under the sponsorship of Governor Wise and Senator Robert Byrd. There is a tremendous potential for the thirteen states in the Appalachian community and Turkey to expand trade. And I think that the group expected 200 people in attendance in Shepherdstown and there were over 300. And so that shows you that even in the most difficult of moments that the potential for expansion of trade is very much alive. Much, but not all, of course, of our bilateral trade is in energy or defense-related projects. We broke ground in Izmir this year on the third energy project being undertaken by InterGen/Enka. This is an American-Dutch-Turkish joint venture. These three projects will generate 800 million dollars in U.S. exports over the next year. In the past year, Turkey either signed contracts or began negotiations with U.S. defense companies for equipment worth over 5 billion dollars. Agricultural trade is also up in Turkey and, of course, we have just been witness to this very, very fine ceremony in which OPIC signed with the sponsors of the Istanbul Ritz-Carlton Hotel project. I, like most of you, believe that our bilateral trade levels could be higher. We have two meetings this spring which will address those issues, and I have had an opportunity already this week to discuss a number of issues with you individually and I know that you have also discussed them. In defense, the Administration is committed to supporting arms export licenses necessary to support Turkey's self-defense needs and NATO's modernization goals. We stand ready to discuss with Turkey issues such as missile defense and establishment of a new civilian space agency that eventually should be able to launch satellites. We applaud the March 3 amendment of Turkey's copyright law, which will move Turkey much closer to the creation of a world-class Intellectual Property Rights regime that will encourage U.S. investment and the development of the pharmaceutical, entertainment and computer software industries within Turkey. We know, and in fact it is on everyone's lips here at this conference, that modernization and outreach do not occur without costs and growing pains. Uneven economic growth within Turkey, lingering statism and non-transparent financial practices pose serious challenges to future-minded economic reformers. Rapid growth and change have and are creating enormous strains on government institutions, economic structures and the fabric of Turkish society. Last month, clearly, we hit a big bump in the road to economic reform. But those were wake-up calls and this morning we heard a very eloquent address by Minister Dervis on the economic situation in Turkey and on the prospects for Turkey's future. We know from his remarks and those of many others that Turkey understands the present situation, and the U.S. -- as Turkey's friend -- is determined to stay the course. I can only repeat what President Bush said in his letter to this conference that is included in every one of your packages: "The United States will stand by Turkey as it continues on the path of economic and political reform." We know that this is Turkey's program. The Turkish government is engaged in an extensive series of consultations with leaders of labor unions and private business organizations to solidify their support for the new reform program. In addition, the government is working to create sustained economic growth and implement structural reform in the banking sector, as you heard this morning. We have received the broad outline of Turkey's new reform program and we now await the details. But we also understand that this new program will keep the focus on ending the very long period of high inflation. We think this program can be successful because it has been tailored to Turkish conditions by the Turkish government, and the government has an enormous stake in its achievement. But most importantly, ladies and gentlemen, the Turkish people want to see real reform. In the spirit of this conference, and the spirit of the discussions that I have been involved in the last few days, I would simply remind that Ataturk's own reforms were very broad and very deep, affecting the legal, economic and social lives of all Turks. In many ways, his reforms reflect what we in the U.S. would call "core values" such as equal access to opportunity and equal application of the law for all citizens. As Turkey continues to adapt Ataturk's dream to current reality, a key component is the drive to create an open and transparent economy and society that can compete in today's global marketplace, that inspires Turkey's youth, that taps the talents of every person and is part and parcel of every successful modern democracy. Influences that impede efficient distribution of resources and undermine public confidence work against the realization of those dreams by the Turkish people. In my six months there, I can say that the very good news is that the spirit to succeed is very much alive and well in Turkey, and the government has tackled these issues. Minister of Internal Affairs Tantan recently called on Turks to establish what he called "a new concept of morals" to battle practices that impoverish the people and undermine the security of the country. This is not a battle than can be won overnight, of course, but this government has launched more such efforts than any other. We applaud its commitment and urge continued diligence. As we have said to each other, and we will say long after this week's meetings, the United States and Turkey are strategic allies. A strong economy is the required foundation for all of Turkey's future commercial, social and security initiatives. Turks know that the key to support is Turkey's own involvement in initiatives that address Turkish aspirations. We are seeing that engagement today. The U.S. and Turkey work well together because we have shared goals and a shared commitment to contribute what is required to achieve those goals. And that is the basis for building a growing U.S.-Turkey partnership in the 21st Century. I believe Turkey will succeed because a spirit of selflessness -- of putting the country's interests first --still lives in Turkey. This spirit, which was evoked recently by the Prime Minister, enabled the Turks to succeed in 1919 against remarkable odds. And I am confident that Turks will prevail again in 2001. Thank you very much.
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