Turkey’s role increased in past 15 years; Ankara should be recognized as active participant; says presidential advisor
Turkey should be defined more as an active player in the global world order with its status in the international economy and increasing trade volume in recent years, according to a senior Turkish official Tuesday.
Presidential advisor Gulnur Aybet told an online panel the liberal global order was beneficial for those taking part in it, yet the governing transatlantic axis of the US and Europe, has been opposing the principle and values they created due to their exclusionary and imposing policies of the past decades.
The competitive nature of heavyweight countries, transatlantic center’s view of Russia and China as a threat, pandemics, climate change and global financial crises are leading troubles haunting the liberal world order, according to the senior official.
She said Turkey’s role has gradually increased in the international economy for the past 15 years and Ankara should be recognized as an active participant, adding that recent comments in some circles that suggested Turkey was shifting away from this order was a source of irony.
Aybet noted that coming international collaborations in the post-pandemic period would be based on a short-term and result-oriented approach, and argued that large global designs would not be present in the future.
She said, however, that existing international organizations such as NATO would still stand as important elements.
Turkey and the US administrations should start a new page in line with realities of the coronavirus and its effect on security and threat perception, according to Aybet.
The panel, “The Crisis of the Liberal Order and the Future of the Global Cooperation,” was organized by Washington-based Atlantic Council and the Turkish Heritage Organization operating in the US.
Atlantic Council Executive Vice President Damon Wilson said the liberal order was the best period with regards to the issues of peace, prosperity and individual freedom from a historical standpoint.
He acknowledged the world was going through a major change process, and differences and struggles between democracies and autocracies would be a significant issue for future generations, and stressed a need to adjust the old liberal order and revive it.