Turkish Foreign Policy Discussed at the Diplomat School

In the closing week of the Diplomat School, Turkish foreign policy, American Middle East policy and Iran's nuclear issue were discussed.

The first session began with a presentation by Iğdır Member of Parliament and Member of the Constitution and Foreign Affairs Committees of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye Dr. Sinan Oğan on "Turkish Foreign Policy: Recent Developments". Beginning his speech by stating that studying and graduating in fields such as international relations and political science does not mean having the necessary knowledge in these areas, Oğan emphasized that these subjects can be learned better in programs such as the Diplomat School, because real experiences are shared there. Assessing recent developments in Turkish foreign policy across a wide spectrum, Oğan emphasized that, especially as 2015 approaches, serious efforts are being made around the world regarding the so-called Armenian Genocide allegations, yet while Türkiye should have at least fifty researchers who know Armenian to carry out such work, our country has only one or two. Emphasizing that Türkiye has the potential to pursue hegemonic policies, he stated that we could be more active in the Middle East. Emphasizing that Türkiye must not disregard human rights in order to be a great power, Oğan concluded his speech by stating that whatever Türkiye's interests require should be done within certain frameworks.

The second session continued with Antalya Member of Parliament and former President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu speaking on "Diplomatic Experiences in the International Arena" . Beginning his speech by thanking Bahçeşehir University, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu stated that establishing such an academy and constantly raising the bar is not easy. He noted that he had attended the opening of the campus in the United States and emphasized that Bahçeşehir University has adopted an innovative approach to education. Continuing by talking about his education, Çavuşoğlu said that in high school he wanted to become a diplomat and that his family did not look favorably on this because of the ASALA attacks, but that he went to Ankara University Faculty of Political Science in line with this goal. Stating that he began his political career in 2001 as a founding member of the AK Party at the invitation of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Çavuşoğlu noted that he began his parliamentary career thanks to Yaşar Yakış, then Minister of Foreign Affairs and AK Party Deputy Chair. Referring to his observations from his 11-year parliamentary career and drawing attention to the importance of international organizations, Çavuşoğlu stated that, given its position, Türkiye must be proactive, and that this should be at the level of international organizations.

In the third session, held with the participation of Bahçeşehir University School of Government and Leadership and Center for American Studies Chair Assist. Prof. Dr. Burak Küntay, "Changing America, Changing Middle East and Changing Diplomacy" was assessed. Referring to the changing perception of diplomacy, Küntay stated that the Arab Spring process was not started by the USA. He emphasized that the USA said only one thing in this process, a statement made by former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Washington D.C. after the Iraq War: "The borders of 14 countries will change." Emphasizing that the biggest change brought about by the Arab Spring was the departure of dictators, Küntay stated that foreign policy is a relationship of interests and that countries act on the basis of either common interests or common enemies.

The fourth session of the final week was held with the participation of Okan University Head of the Department of International Relations Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kibaroğlu to assess "The Regional and Global Impact of Iran's Nuclear Program" . Beginning his speech with Eisenhower's phrase "Atoms for Peace," Kibaroğlu stated that the Shah of Iran moved closer to the USA due to the Soviet threat. He pointed out that in 1974 the Shah's dream was to produce 20 thousand MW of nuclear energy within twenty years, and that Iran earned large sums of money thanks to the 1973 OPEC crisis. He noted that Iran had its nuclear energy facilities built through billion-dollar tenders, with the USA, France and the UK competing. Stating that in 1979 Khomeini expelled foreign nuclear workers from Iran with the slogan "Neither West nor East, only the Republic of Iran," Kibaroğlu said that in the 1980s, during the Iran-Iraq War, due to the lack of nuclear energy and EU threats, Rafsanjani proposed reviving the nuclear projects, and Khomeini accepted this proposal. He continued by saying that Iran did not agree to cooperate with the USA but accepted cooperation with the USSR and China, and reminded that after the dissolution of the USSR, cooperation between Iran and the Russian Federation developed.