Speaking at a press conference on Thursday in London, Davutoğlu said the first Turkish ambassador dispatched abroad was sent to London in 1793.Hague outlined the British coalition government’s new vision in foreign policy, called the most “effective and focused” foreign policy in years. During his comments, Hague made a reference to Turkey and its rising economic clout in the region and beyond. The introduction of a new vision in British foreign policy envisages “the value of [the] future membership” of “Europe’s biggest emerging economy” -- Turkey.
“The issue of Turkey is a state policy of England,” İhsan Yılmaz, a prominent expert on British politics from Fatih University, said in an interview with Sunday’s Zaman. “It won’t change as parties change.”
Hague, speaking before the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on July 1, said Turkey is Europe’s biggest emerging economy and a good example of a country developing a new role and new links for itself, partly on top of and partly outside of existing structures and alliances, and is highly active in the Western Balkans, the wider Middle East and Central Asia.
It seems not every Conservative will subscribe to the foreign secretary’s remarks. This much has been proven true, as Roger Helmer, a member of the European Parliament from the British Conservative Party, denounced Hague’s statement, saying, “British voters will not stand for Turkish membership -- nor will other EU states,” the UK’s Daily Mirror reported last Sunday.
Hague, defining British foreign policy, says “elevated ties are strategically highly desirable” for the United Kingdom. Prime Minister David Cameron will also make an “early visit” to Turkey by the end of July.
The new British coalition government is known to be a vocal opponent of the European Union, which it considers a “futile and evil” political entity that constantly “steals” British money and sovereignty. Observers speculate the UK is trying to get Turkey in to balance France and Germany within the EU.
Hague said during the press conference that Britain strongly supports Turkey’s bid to join the EU. “This government is clear that for the EU to turn its back on Turkey would be an immense strategic error,” he said.
Yılmaz notes that Euro-skeptics want Turkey’s EU membership more because it would dilute the EU, and that works for the UK. Before the Conservatives rose to power, many questioned if they would staunchly oppose Turkey’s EU membership. Yılmaz dismissed these rumors and said previous Conservative governments ruled the country for 18 years, until 1997, without any negative policies.
Another area of cooperation between Britain and Turkey is to revive an already obsolete strategic partnership by updating a strategic cooperation agreement signed in 2007.
The economic side of bilateral relations is also significant. Britain is one of Turkey’s chief trade partners in Europe, with approximately $9 billion in trade volume. This figure was $13 billion in 2008. The Turkish foreign minister said he also discussed with his British counterpart ways to increase the trade volume, but “not just to $13 billion, but to $20 billion in the coming years.”
One of the problematic issues that are expected to test the strength of Turkish-British relations is the new Conservative UK government’s tight immigration policy. Estimates put the number of Turkish immigrants living in the UK as more than 300,000 today, and it seems that they will also be negatively affected thanks to the new immigration policies. Experts argue that despite Britain’s unprecedented support for Turkey’s EU membership, the British coalition government will not have concessions in immigration laws in the short run. “There are indications that they [the British government] will seek to delay by some years the provision under which Turkish workers could automatically be able to work in the UK,” Dennis Sammut, the executive director of the London Information Network on Conflicts and State-building (LINKS), told Sunday’s Zaman. Sammut said this is something that will be negotiated in due course.
Andrew Finkel, a Today’s Zaman columnist, on the other hand, argues that the Conservatives are in principle suspicious of immigration and may thus be reluctant to lift the oppressive visa regime imposed on Turkish citizens. He said they may be induced to temper their stance by their coalition partners.
Diplomacy
