Implemented by the Association of Journalists and funded by the European Union (EU) the Media for Democracy/Democracy for Media Programme (M4D) hosted Diplomat Faruk Loğoğlu at the Press House this week. In his presentation titled “Turkish Foreign Policy: Past to Present” Loğoğlu emphasized “the importance of returning to a steady, regular, rational and consistent foreign policy approach”.

SULTAN YAVUZ- Implemented by the Association of Journalists and implemented by the European Union, the Media for Democracy/Democracy for Media Project (M4D) hosted Diplomat Faruk Loğoğlu at the Press House in Ankara. In his presentation titled “Turkish Foreign Policy: Past to Present” Loğoğlu said “Turkey must return to a steady, regular, rational and consistent foreign policy approach in the name of its reputation, national security and interests”.

M4D Project Director Yusuf Kanlı welcomed the guests to the Press House and gave a brief welcome speech. Kanlı said “We are amidst and interesting political situation; yesterday we signed an important cease fire with Russia. When we initially had decided to hold this event, neither Syria nor the cease fire was on the agenda. We wanted to discuss the political evolution and development of Turkish foreign policy, considering recent events I believe such a topic proves to be quite apt.”

M4D Project Assistant Director Seva Ulman gave the opening speech of the event. Remarking that Loğoğlu completed his last diplomatic mission as the Ambassador for Washington, Ülman said Loğoğlu also served for a term in parliament as a deputy for CHP.

Regarding Loğoğlu, Ülman said “He is uncompromising, is meticulous in applying protocol and also very polite. He was known among diplomacy correspondents as someone who would provide clear answers”.

Born in Ankara, Loğoğlu completed his primary, middle school and high school education in Tarsus American College; he later studied at Brandeis University in the USA and completed his doctoral studies in Political Science at Princeton University. Loğoğlu worked as a member of faculty at Middlebury University for about a year.

Returning to Turkey in 1971, Loğoğlu held positions respectively as head clerk at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, charge d’affaires, and consul general later to be appointed as Ambassador for Denmark and Azerbaijan. Ülman said “Loğoğlu returned from Washington as ambassador in 2005 and retired from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for whom he worked for 35 years. In 2011 he was elected as a deputy for CHP and entered parliament. Loğoğlu was also vice president for a period in the party.”

Loğlu “Being like a westerner and being a westerner are different things”

Pointing out the importance of addressing the difference between traditional Turkish foreign policy and what it has become today, Loğoğlu expressed that Turkish foreign policy is based on the concepts of geography, history and identity. Underlining the importance of the geographical location of Turkey, and it being a bridge between two continents, Loğoğlu said:

“The history of Turkey, especially during the migrations from Central Asia, has been full of wars and peace; many states were founded. This enable many different peoples together. This has been an element in determining foreign policy.

Turkey has a mixed society, there are all kinds of genetic lineages. Defining what it means to be “Turkish” is also difficult in legal terms, the definition embodies many different elements. I believe multiculturalism to be an advantage. It would be a mistake to be hung-up on one side. It could be said we were facing west in the first years of the republic, but being like a westerner and being a westerner are different things… Turkish foreign policy is a fragile, multi-layered structure. It is clearly defined in the Constitution.

The fundamental principles of the Republic of Turkey are democracy, laicity, and rule of law. Foreign policy must abide by these principles; in fact, it has ever since the republic was founded. The diplomacy of Turkish foreign policy was highly accredited throughout the world; I am afraid we cannot say the same today. The organizational structure of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also changed, it has eroded. Ambassadors were appointed in the past too, but it was an exception. A district director of agriculture from Ağrı can be appointed as a general manager to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today, that’s how much the network has expanded. Each profession requires training specific to itself. You can only truly become a diplomat once you are in the profession.”

Today, Turkey is alone in both its region and internationally

Remarking that Turkish foreign policy must abide by the principles of democracy, laicity and rule of law Loğoğlu said “From the first years of the Republic until the 90s, foreign policy was not an issue incorporated into discussion of domestic politics, they were two separate things. Yet, today we see that foreign policy has been trapped into domestic political concerns; this has been the case for the last 10-15 years unfortunately…”

“Today, Turkey is alone in both its region and internationally. Today, the prevailing outlook is not “full independence” rather it is “maximum dependence.”

Loğoğlu continued “You cannot not completely fix mistakes made in foreign policy but you can stop doing that mistake. Stopping from committing the same mistake is also a virtue, and it is also in benefit of mankind. Our Russia and Syria policies have many mistakes, we continue our ties with China but cannot make a sound about the situation of Uyghur Turks there.

We must return to our previous understanding of foreign policy, even the EU cannot protect its own values; this is especially true regarding the refugee crisis. For the sake of Turkey international reputation, national security and interests we must revert to a rational, cohesive and consistent foreign policy approach. This might take some time, and in this context good relations must be established with the media. I have always said this: if the press cannot get enough information from us, they will use the information they acquire through their own means. Everyone must do what they can to improve Turkish foreign policy.”