Western

Published by The National Herald, December 10, 2004

Puzzles of Western Diplomacy: Turkey Needs to Open Itself Up to the Values of Christinaity and Western Philosophy

By Dr. Christos Evangeliou

Friends of Greece and Turkey, in Europe and all over the World, have welcomed, with a sense of relief, the recent and unexpected warming of relations between the two countries, especially since the assumption of the Greek Government by New Democracy in the spring of 2004.

The close friendship which developed between Greek Premier Costas Karamanlis and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is something unusual and encouraging, given the history of their two countries. NATO membership has not prevented them from coming to the brink of war in the past. It has cost them much, and not only in economic terms, since history has brought these two noble nations into each other’s the arms.

In this light, it is encouraging to see that Athens can finally openly declare its support for Ankara’s bid for membership in the European Union. In the same light, it is rather puzzling for sincere friends of Turkey to witness some serious omissions and certain strange steps taken by the Turkish Government and its diplomacy on the eve of a crucial test for EU membership next month.

My reference is not so much to untimely attempts by the Erdogan Government, as to the equalization of the degrees of religious and public schools, and the criminalization of adultery. For these attempted measures were perhaps meant only for internal consumption and as an appeasement of the Islamic majority, which brought Mr. Erdogan’s party to power in 2002. Acting prudently, the Turkish Government in both cases withdrew its controversial proposals, in the face of a strong opposition from the conservative right internally, and the liberal left externally.

Of much greater and serious concern for the bilateral relations of Greece and Turkey are certain actions or omissions which may influence negatively the present goodwill of Greece towards Turkey. Thus, the progression towards full participation in the EU club and its prospective treasures may be impeded.

One such provocation is the continuation, and even intensification, of sea and air violations in the Aegean. But even this misstep may be more of an indication of the gap between the Turkish military establishment and the Islamic party now in power, than a determined policy of the current Turkish Government, which is not helped by such unnecessary aggravation at this particular point of time. Even if we assume that the Turkish Government wanted to stop the provocative actions of the military, it may not have the authority to do so, in view of what happened to the previous Islamist Government less than ten years ago.

On the other hand, the way Turkish diplomacy handled the Annan Plan would seem impressive, since it succeeded in securing a yes-vote from Turkish Cypriots, in sharp contrast with the resounding no-vote of the Greek Cypriots. This resulted in the generation of much goodwill for the Turkish side in the both the EU and the U.S.

What is puzzling to many people, however, is that the Turkish Government did not capitalize on this by some bold reduction of the occupation forces on the still-divided island republic to facilitate its reunion, either before the referendum or afterwards. Such a move would have increased its capital of goodwill among the Greeks, Cypriots and Europeans, and it would have helped its bid for EU accession. I believe that, in the long run, this will be seen as a serious and unfortunate omission on the part of Turkish diplomacy, for it failed to grasp the moment. Here, too, its move might have been controlled by the concerns of the military.

But there is another area where the inaction of the Turkish Government, at this crucial juncture for its future, would seem inexcusable and puzzling to its friends and well wishers; i.e., its handling of the issue of the promised opening of the Patriarchal Theological School on Chalki in particular, and the state of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in general.

One would have reasonably expected that Turkey, at this important moment of its history, would have the insight to instruct its diplomatic body to grasp the opportunity, and to act politically; that is, to show the Europeans and the civilized world that Turley really is ready to become a member of the EU on its historical credentials as the successor power of the Byzantine Empire and the overlord of millions of Orthodox Christians in Europe or more than five centuries. Turkey failed to capitalize on that, too.

In a conversation I had with a taxi driver in Constantinople last summer, he told me, with a great deal of insight, that the present problems and poverty of that city have their roots in the forced exodus of thousands of affluent Greeks and other European Christians. Unfortunately, this exodus did not end with the end of World War I. This shrewd observation sounded reasonable to me and, if that happened to be true, now is the time to reverse the process and amend the situation by inviting those who left, or their children, to return to their ancestral lands. These energetic peoples, under the venerable leadership of the Patriarchate, could become the most natural bridge to connect Islamic Turkey to Christian Europe, and to keep it there in peace and prosperity.

But, as I said before, it’s very puzzling that this simple truth seems to have escaped the present Turkish Government and its otherwise sharp and accomplished diplomacy, which saddens its friends. Unless and until Turkey honestly opens up to these two civilizing European forces, the love of Christianity and the enlightenment of Philosophy, its efforts to become and remain as an equal and functional member of the expansive European Union are in vain. For this kind of radical change in orientation, Turkey will need a new ruler with Ataturk’s genius. Otherwise, it will face the risk of moving from the wished-for and declared secularism back into the pitfall of all-surrounding religious fundamentalism.



Volume 6 Number 50 - Tuesday, December 14th, 2004	A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY