KARACHI Turkey is opting for a new approach in foreign policy by forging stronger ties with the East after efforts by the US "Jewish lobby" against the secular state, says a Turkish scholar in an exclusive interview with Dawn.com.
 
Prof Dr Cagri Erhan from the Department of International Relations, Ankara University said that since Turkey is following a balanced foreign policy it does not now fear US backlash or consequences because of tensions with Israel.
 
It was this Jewish lobby which had supported Turkey earlier on several issues including the so-called genocide of Armenians. But since this lobby has been working against Turkey through its biased media, Turkey wants to adopt a more independent foreign policy which is not only for the West.
 
'In international relations, there is interdependence. And Turkey now wants to benefit with this interdependence. As far as the consequences of these tensions with Israel are concerned, I must say when one is doing a right thing, one does not fear any impact, Dr Erhan told Dawn.com on Wednesday.
 
Relations between Ankara and Jerusalem are at their lowest ebb since the Israeli offensive against Gaza last year. The ties between the two former allies worsened in January 2009 when Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan chided Israeli President Shimon Peres for defending the operation in Gaza at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The situation went from bad to worse when Turkish TV telecast a drama, showing Israeli soldiers kidnapping Palestinian children. Israel rebuked Turkey by calling up and apparently humiliating its ambassador.
 
Emphasising the "Jewish and Israel lobby" in the US, Dr Erhan said it existed and was very much active in America, but could not make a major impact on the US forei gn policy.
 
America does have a Jewish and Israel lobby which works for Israel, especially their media. It has control over media and financial institutions, but cannot change the course of US foreign policy. But it can unleash propaganda against what they believe are Israel's enemies. But at the same time, there are some moderate Israelis who want to solve the Middle East issue.
 
Sour relations with Israel and Ankaras support for Palestinians after the 2009 Gaza offensive is the result of a change in Turkish foreign policy, he said. The Turkish scholar, however, believed that the current foreign policy was not a new phenomenon for Turkey which wanted to return to its traditional approach to geopolitics. The Turkish stand for the Palestinian cause, he said, had roots reaching back to 1970s.
 
In fact Turkey used to criticise Israel for its actions and killing Palestinians in 1960s and 70s. From 1996 until 2003, Turkey opted for a balanced approach and had good relations with Israel to act as moderator in the Middle East. So these tensions are nothing new. Turkeys shift is from realism to idealism based on values and human rights. Turkey has just added east and south to its foreign policy detriments, he remarked.
 
Dr Erhan says as Turkey depended heavily on Israel for the supply of military hardware, it had good diplomatic relations with the Jewish state. Since Turkey now receives defence equipment from other suppliers in the world, it is on longer dependent on Israel.
 
The professor said after resolving a border dispute with Syria, Turkey did not require Israels support, while the war in Iraq, the rejection of Hamas after the 2006 elections, and Gaza war has helped Turkey shape its new foreign policy.
 
The Turkish professor, who was in the Karachi to deliver a lecture on "EU-Turkey Relations" said the transformation of Turkish foreign policy may be appreciated by the EU, but Turkey's ambitions of joining the 27-nation bloc is a distant dream.
 
'Change in Turkey's policy is certainly not about appeasing EU or anybody. It is Turkey's own decision with an objective to become a better regional player and a soft power. Turkish foreign policy is not shifting. Rather it is a change in perception. Turkey had seen EU membership as a target since 1962, but becoming a civilised society is a bigger goal now. EU membership process has given impetus to Turkey to become a more progressive and developed country. But if Turkey is not given EU membership then it is not the end of the life. It is also one of the reasons for Turkey moving to the East from the West. Turkey has been fighting for EU entry for so many decades but has not been accepted as member. So why West blames Turkey for turning to the East.'
 
Dr Erhan believes since the EU has been bogged down by rising nationalism, he predicts a break-up of the EU. 'EU will not break economically but it will break politically. And there will be chaos all over Europe when that happens.'
 
Earlier, speaking at a one-day workshop organised by Area Study Centre for Europe, University of Karachi, in collaboration with the Hanns Seidel Foundation, Islamabad, the professor said the new foreign policy had six principles; balance between security and freedom, integration of Turkey with its bordering states, effective diplomacy with neighbours, complimentarity with global actors, bilateral and multi-lateral diplomacy and a new perception of Turkey.
 
'Turkey suffered huge financial losses when the US invaded Iraq. Now Turkey does not want anybody to attack its neighbouring states. Turkey does not want terrorism and WMD. When there was campaign against Iran for its nuclear program, Turkey said it does not want any state in the Middle East to have nuclear weapons at which Israel was annoyed,' he said.
 
Dr Erhan, also the director of European Research Centre at Ankara University, said having a 72 million population, 99 per cent of which is Muslim, the EU feared that Turkey's entry would change the cultural composition of the union.
 
'As Turkey's economy is fragile, we are depending on investment from Middle Eastern countries. But the EU is reluctant in offering Turkey membership although it could be beneficial as Turkey borders energy-rich countries. But Syria, Iran and Iraq are also considered problematic areas by the EU.'
 
While Turkey had learned a lesson from the separatist Kurdish movement and was now integrating the Kurds, the EU was not willing to accept Turkey as member. 'Greece was offered 45 billion euros while Turkey just six billion euros by EU which is certainly discriminatory. The EU 2004 resolution regarding Turkey's membership is open ended and there is no guarantee (of entry). It means there is a tunnel and there is no light at the other end.
 
Prof Dr Naveed Ahmad Tahir, director of the ASCE, welcomed the Turkish speaker while saying although Turkey had been on the path of democracy, there was a strong dichotomy in Europes attitude towards the secular state.