Turmoil in Mena Region and Turkey’s Importance
Turkey’s importance rises with MENA turmoil
Turkey’s chief EU negotiator Bağış (L) and Sweden’s Foreign Minister Bildt attended a dinner organized as part of Aspen Institute Italia’s program on Friday in İstanbul.
The consequences of the turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) continue to spill out of the region, pushing oil prices up, affecting investment flows, spurring new waves of migrants and propelling Turkey to ever increasing levels of importance, according to participants in a high-level conference in İstanbul over the weekend that brought together international ministers, business leaders academics and diplomats from around the world.
Organizers of the event from the Aspen Institute Italia selected İstanbul for the venue of its 20th annual meeting, which was appropriately entitled, “Europe Beyond the EU: the geo-economy of the wider continent.” Participants included such political figures as Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan, Turkey’s chief EU negotiator Egeman Bağış, Italian Minister of Economy and Finance Giulio Tremonti, Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt and President of the Romanian Senate Mircea Dan Geoana. “One day, hopefully the EU will realize the importance of Turkey,” Babacan said addressing the audience at the opening panel, suggesting that the turmoil in the Middle East and the effects of this turmoil on the EU economy, along with Europe’s limited ability to effect the outcome of events was becoming an ever-increasing reason for European leaders to embrace Turkey as a member.
Turkey is increasingly being touted as a soft power and a “source of inspiration” for countries in the region now experiencing turmoil and upheaval. Since the turmoil in the MENA region began, oil prices have skyrocketed, increasing 21 percent in the last two weeks alone. Nasser Saidi, chief economist from the Dubai International Financial Center Authority, warned that if the turmoil spread, the price of oil could easily reach $200 a barrel.”
The prospect of sanctions on some countries, Saidi suggested, were sending further dangerous signals to sovereign wealth funds with the potential of creating considerable uncertainty and volatility in financial markets as well. Fear of the contagion that caused uprisings to spread from Tunisia to Egypt and Libya among others have now caused European leaders to reassess their economic security if the events are not contained and they spread to such oil-producing giants as Saudi Arabia and Iran and beyond to the oil- and gas-rich countries in the Caspian region. One European politician who spoke in a closed session acknowledged “Europe’s inability to have much effect on events in the region,” which has now proven to have profound effects on the EU’s economic security. He said that Turkey’s new activism in the region and its moral influence has given new importance to Turkey in the eyes of EU policymakers. Turkey’s leaders have long been insisting that the country’s importance stems not only from its position as an energy transport route from the Middle East and Caspian to Europe, but also because of the hard and soft power that Turkey commands in the region. In the words of Saidi, “Turkey has less baggage when dealing with the Arab world.” This view bodes well for Turkey’s EU accession plans. For years, Turkish leaders have been asserting that Turkish accession would provide hope to countries to its east and would allow the EU to have greater sway over events.
Many, including Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Franco Frattini, echoed this line of thought when he said the ability of the EU to offer the stick and carrot of EU membership was one of the key aspects that helped soothe the transition of many Eastern European countries to democracy and reduce the likelihood of significant economic and security disruptions to the EU.
07 March 2011, Monday
SOURCE: TODAYSZAMAN.COM
DAVID NEYLAN, İSTANBUL
