HY RU EN
Asset 3

Loading

End of content No more pages to load

Your search did not match any articles

U.S. Ambassador Designate to Turkey: Ankara Taking Positive Steps to Expand Dialog with Armenians

Excerpts of testimony of John R. Bass, U.S. Ambassador-Designate to the Republic of Turkey (July 15, 2014, Senate Foreign Relations Committee)

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee,

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Johnson and all the Members of the Committee. I am honored to come before you to be considered for the position of Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey, and I am grateful for the confidence President Obama and Secretary Kerry have shown in me. If confirmed, I pledge to work with all of you to protect and advance our interests by promoting security, prosperity, democracy and human rights – both in Turkey and in the many places beyond its borders where we work together.

I have spent much of my career working to achieve a cornerstone of U.S. policy– completing the project of building a Europe whole, free and at peace.

I’ve watched Turkey’s transformation into a modernized G20 economy and a confident partner of the United States in many new areas of the world.

Our partnership has never been more important – or more complex.

Our core security partnership has anchored our relationship for decades – and with good reason. A NATO ally for 62 years, Turkey has bordered potential or active conflicts for that entire period. In recent years, it has stood with us in Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Libya. It hosts key elements of NATO’s missile defense architecture. Turkey has joined fellow allies in rejecting Russia’s attempted annexation of Crimea and encouraging de-escalation of the ongoing crisis. It also is contributing military assets to reassurance activities in Central and Eastern Europe.

At the same time it supports collective security, Turkey faces very real challenges on its own borders. ISIL’s gains in Iraq pose significant dangers for regional and international security, as the group’s seizure of Turkish citizens and diplomats demonstrates; we continue to urge their immediate release. Turkey is working closely with us and other partners to help Iraqis achieve the objective of a federal, democratic, pluralistic and unified Iraq.

Even before ISIL’s metastasis into Iraq, Turkey was grappling with the spillover of terrorism and violence from the war in Syria. Over 70 Turks have died as a result of cross-border fire or terrorism emanating from Syria. Just as the United States has provided more than $2 billion in humanitarian assistance for Syrians affected by this conflict, Turkey has also borne a significant burden from hosting more than one million displaced Syrians.

Turkey has been a critical facilitator of U.S. assistance to Syrian people in need and to the moderate Syrian opposition. Turkey is a key member of the Friends of Syria Core Group, and we are working closely with Turkey to find a political solution to the conflict and reinforce support for the moderate opposition. Concurrently, we are working with the Turkish government to mitigate the risk posed by violent extremists and foreign fighters exploiting Turkey’s geography. If confirmed, I will work closely with Turkey and other regional partners to stem the flow of fighters, money and expertise to and from Syria.

The instability along Turkey’s southern border gives renewed urgency for Ankara to build stronger relationships with other neighbors – Israel, Armenia, and Cyprus.

One issue that confronts all democracies as they look to the future is how they deal with the past. We continue to encourage Turkey and Armenia to move towards normalization as a means of creating the peaceful, productive and prosperous relationship that the people of both countries deserve. On this year’s Remembrance Day, Prime Minister Erdogan expressed his condolences to the grandchildren of those Armenians killed during World War I. That gesture and other positive efforts by the Turkish government in recent months indicate that the space for dialogue is opening. But more can be done, and we encourage both sides to pursue a full, frank, and just acknowledgement of the facts surrounding the tragic events of 1915.

Turkey is one of the oldest democracies in the region. But as President Obama noted when visiting Ankara in 2009, “Democracies cannot be static – they must move forward. Freedom of religion and expression lead to a strong and vibrant civil society that only strengthens the state, which is why steps like reopening the Halki Seminary will send such an important signal inside Turkey and beyond.” Five years later, events have led to questions – including from Members of this Committee – about the trajectory of Turkish democracy: whether media and online freedoms are adequately guaranteed; whether rule of law is sufficiently protected; whether citizens have the right to free assembly and expression; whether the judicial system is free from political interference; and whether the voices of all minorities are being heard.

These are ultimately questions Turks will answers through the choices they make, but we will continue to advocate – as we do around the world – for transparent and accountable government.

Write a comment

If you found a typo you can notify us by selecting the text area and pressing CTRL+Enter