The ongoing 4th Ambassadors Conference, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take place between December 23-30, 2011, was first held during Ali Babacan’s term as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The first conference didn’t attract much attention perhaps both because it was convened the first time and because it took place at a time when Turkish Foreign Policy was not as popular as it is today. The second conference, which took place after Prof. Dr. Ahmet Davutoglu was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, became a major event for the academic circles, foreign policy-related institutions and the media. As an international relations enthusiast, I closely followed each of the previous conferences and this year I had the chance to attend in person to the ongoing 4th Ambassadors Conference, by the invitation sent to International Relations Studies Association (IRSA) that I am affiliated with.
The Ambassadors Conference, as is evident from its name, covers a long-term consultation period where ambassadors affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, arrive in Ankara from their respective countries of duty station to assess last year’s foreign policy performance and formulate future-oriented policies and strategies. The objectives of the Conference can be said to be the following: to ensure complete harmony between the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and representations abroad, and create a work environment for close cooperation; to assess accurately the work of the ambassadors in their workstations and the developments in their countries of representation, with the organization at the headquarters; to consider the current strategies and position regarding the global events and issues relating to the Turkish Foreign Policy, and update the existing strategies by creating required work fields; and to make sure that the ambassadors return to their representations having consulted on all the policies that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs established with a global vision. “Public diplomacy” activities are also an important pillar of the conference as demonstrated by the fact that each year the meeting starts in Ankara and continues in a different city of Turkey. The assessment meeting of the second Conference was held in Mardin, the third in Erzurum and the current fourth edition will be concluded in Edirne. All these arrangements are significant gestures in this respect. This practice is advantageous for both the ambassadors, who become acquainted with the local cultures by visiting different cities, and the cities as they strengthen their bonds with the state by hosting such important meetings.
The main theme of the 4th Ambassadors Conference is “The Main Pillars of the Turkish Foreign Policy: Democratic Values and National Interests.” The influence of Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ahmet Davutoglu’s background as a valuable academic educated in “international relations” is very apparent in the selection of each year’s theme. As Davutoglu firmly believes that one cannot achieve success on practical grounds without a theoretical perspective, he wants to explain it in detail to all the ambassadors of Turkey and give them instructions himself on the process of its application in practice. This desire clearly shows itself in his opening speech to the 4th Ambassadors Conference. In the beginning of his speech, when Davutoglu pointed out that there was a close correlation between “to stand and to understand” in Arabic, English and German, he was signaling in a way that during the upcoming week of consultation, a profound assessment regarding national interests, democratic values and the main pillars of the Turkish Foreign Policy, which constitute the main themes for the 4th Ambassadors Conference, would take place.
To stop once in a while as history flows and interpret the course of history in a rational way, one needs a strong stance, said Davutoglu and named the main topics of the conference as follows: the stance that the Turkish Foreign Policy will adopt through its main pillars; the democratic values questioned throughout the flow of history, in other words, throughout the world; and where the national interests should stand in relation to these values. To give some examples, this year’s Ambassadors Conference will dwell on the debate on democracy surrounding the The Arab Spring and the political and economic crisis in Europe, where Turkey’s interests lie, and what its position will be regarding this debate. After that, the primary topic of discussion will be the pillars on which Turkey’s position will stand and following the strategic planning, the ambassadors will return to their countries of duty station.
However, it will not be enough that the ambassadors return with a good grasp of the strategic planning. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ahmet Davutoglu used the word “instruction” many times during his speech and gave several instructions on various subjects to the ambassadors. To summarize in one sentence, he asked the ambassadors to be “wise men” and instructed them to be the most sought after ambassadors for their opinions. Professor Davutoglu, who coined the concept of “Wise Nation” during the 3rd Ambassadors Conference, advised the ambassadors to be in close contact with all the groups in their countries of duty station, to live up to the title. Pointing out that wise ambassadors should be as knowledgeable on history as an academic, and have a grasp of economics and entrepreneurship as firm as a business man, he added that they also need to act very tactfully as if they were carrying a pigeon on their shoulders. He stated that this sensitivity stems from Turkey’s profound history and noted that we are going through a period of assessment of not only the times that we are currently living in, but of the past hundred years.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Davutoglu qualified the decade from the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 to the September 11 terrorist attacks in the USA as a “geopolitical earthquake.” He said that this decade was lost on Turkey, despite it being on the winning side of the Cold War, and added that, let alone making a good assessment of the history, Turkey fell short of understanding the relationship between values and interests due to weak political will caused by vulnerable government structures. Davutoglu exercised caution to underline that he was by no means criticizing any political government with his previous remarks and that he approached the issue with an integral perspective and resolve. He indicated that these lost years need to be recuperated henceforth at the expense of taking a risk and drawing reaction at certain points, and stressed that ambassadors must create a 25th hour when 24 hours don’t suffice and that even sleeping should be forbidden for diplomats if need be. Davutouglu acknowledged that the number of Ministry of Foreign Affairs staff is very low compared to other countries that develop foreign policy encompassing such a large area. He emphasized that despite the low number of staff, today Turkey has an extraordinary level of activity in the field of foreign policy and thanked all diplomats for their devotion.
The opening speech to the 4th Ambassadors Conference was perhaps the most assertive speech by Ahmet Davutoglu since he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, revealing his visible and felt influence behind the noticeable level of activity in and the latest popularity of the Turkish Foreign Policy. Even someone out of touch with the issues he mentioned, would be motivated and feel the urge to roll up his sleeves to do something. The most striking topic of Davutoglu’s speech, which he touched upon for the first time ever, was possibly his references to the Armenian and Jewish communities. Davutoglu said that every single Armenian person, who has left Turkey, is part of our Diaspora and that one needs to go up to wherever that person is and talk to him about our common culture and past of a thousand years. He added that the same should go for Jewish people, despite Turkey’s problems with Israel. This was the first time that such a statement was issued by the Minister of Foreign Affairs himself in the history of the Republic of Turkey. Another important point that needs to be emphasized in Davutoglu’s speech is the slogan he created: “one history in the region, one citizenship in Anatolia.” Davutoglu clarified his slogan by saying the following: ”Just like how our governors come together with our people and ease their sorrows, our ambassadors, especially those stationed in regions that we share a common local culture with, need to establish a strong bond with the local people.” He noted that the balance of power in this sense is ephemeral and that the ambassadors need to take a stance instead according to the people of the region and country. Davutoglu stated that they could lose touch with anything but the local people.
The instructions that Ahmet Davutoglu issued during the 4th Ambassadors Conference contained important clues regarding the policies to be followed henceforth, other than key assessments on the Turkish Foreign Policy. Qualifying the decade between 2001 and 2011 as a restoration period, he stated that the consolidation period began as of then. He said that the new policies, which aim to make Turkey a global actor by 2023, will bring together the Middle East, Caucasia and the Balkans and the first example of that promise is the activities within the “2012 Year of Peace in the Balkans” led by Serbia and Turkey. Pointing out that the Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vuk Jeremic will also deliver a speech during the 4th Ambassadors Conference, Ahmet Davutoglu considered it symbolic in this respect that the meeting will conclude in Edirne. Underlining that peace can once again be established in the Balkans by bringing together Edirne, Thessaloniki, Plovdiv, Skopje, Belgrade, Pristina and Sarajevo, he asserted that, from a deep historical perspective, we are actually returning to the Balkans, which we left in 1912, with a peaceful approach in 2012. The fact that Davutoglu used the word “consolidation” numerous times, brought to people’s minds the question of Neo-Ottomanism. However, Davutoglu did away with the negative connotation of the concept and immediately added, “with sincerity, heart to heart, without a hint of superiority and arrogance, for a fraternal future.” The expression he used at another part of his speech, “at the expense of taking a risk and drawing reaction,” which is mentioned above, was in a way a clever response to the “Neo-Ottoman” claims against the Turkish Foreign Policy and Davutoglu’s person.
In conclusion, 4th Ambassadors Conference is significant for Turkey to stand on a rational ground and take its place in the flow of history, in view of its rising dynamism in foreign policy and prominence in the global arena. In the course of events and the state of affairs, you may not be able to read into the process you are going through and this may result in making mistakes. In this respect, the ambassadors’ coming to the headquarters is very important. They are the ones who work the hardest for the Turkish Foreign Policy, the scope of activity and work of which has been expanding lately. Therefore, it is highly significant that the ambassadors, in Professor Davutoglu’s words, stand, understand and reinterpret the actions put into place in the course of events, minimize mistakes and convey the strategies, formed during the consultation period, from the headquarters to the representations abroad in a unified manner.
Burak YALIM
President of International Relations Studies Association (IRSA)
Translated by Gönenç İnal
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