Statement of Fifteen Former Foreign Ministers on Turkey

This following is a statement of principles signed by fifteen former Foreign Ministers.  The group of ministers was recently hosted in Ankara, Turkey by The Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB), under the auspices of the Aspen Atlantic Group, an organization that was conceived in 2003 by former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.  The group meets annually and brings together former foreign ministers from across the globe and the political spectrum to develop concrete, non-partisan recommendations to help the two sides of the Atlantic address the next frontier of global challenges.  

During the most recent session of the Aspen Atlantic Group in Ankara in April 2009, fifteen former foreign ministers from the transatlantic region met to consider Turkey’s role regionally and globally.  After two days of discussion, the ministers committed to the following general approach:  

• Support Turkey’s plan for membership in the European Union and encourage the leaders to continue its progress on reforms necessary for the accession process, including meeting the Copenhagen criteria;
• Call upon the leaders to find the appropriate checks and balances between Turkey’s civilian government and military leaders to allow the continued growth of democracy and stability in government;
• Foster opportunities for a conducive political climate with all concerned parties working towards the resolution of the Cyprus issue;
• Support Turkey’s non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council as an opportunity to build a broader partnership and identify the convergence of shared interests with the global community;
• Devise a common agenda between Turkey, the European Union, the United States, and nations in the region to tackle transnational problems including access to energy, combating terrorism and  organized crime, and halting the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction;
• Call for an ongoing energy dialogue with regional actors, including Russia, to discuss issues of energy security to offset the mindset of solely convening crisis-centered talks; and
• Endorse Turkey’s sense of global responsibility and its engagement in encouraging stability in the Middle East, dealing with the global economic crisis, and promoting stability in the Caucuses.

Signed,

Madeleine Albright – United States
Halldór Ásgrímsson – Iceland
Lloyd Axworthy – Canada
Lamberto Dini – Italy
Jan Eliasson – Sweden
Joschka Fischer – Germany
Rosario Green – Mexico
Igor Ivanov – Russia
János Martonyi – Hungary
Donald C. McKinnon – New Zealand
Ana Palacio – Spain
Niels Helveg Petersen – Denmark
Lydie Polfer – Luxembourg
Malcolm Rifkind – United Kingdom
Jozias van Aartsen – The Netherlands