Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu is set to become the next chairman of the ruling AK Party and the next prime minister of Turkey. All this will become official next week. With this succession, both the AK Party and Turkey enter a new era.
President-elect Erdoğan himself made the announcement on Aug. 21 at AK Party headquarters in Ankara where he presented Davutoğlu as "my brother." In his speech, Erdoğan said he would continue to work with Davutoğlu in his new tenure. Erdoğan also underlined that after long and comprehensive consultations, the AK Party decided on Davutoğlu. This makes Davutoğlu a candidate of consensus accepted by all party branches and AK Party constituency. In his speech, Davutoğlu said that Turkey's transformation and restoration would continue unabated. Once seen as a sick country, Turkey is now standing on its feet, he added, and the march towards a stronger and more prosperous Turkey will go on.
Now, both Erdoğan and Davutoğlu have underlined the continuity of the AK Party's political identity and the government's reform-centric agenda. They both reiterated their commitment to such key issues as settling the Kurdish issue, joining the EU, writing a new constitution and fighting against the "parallel state," i.e., the Gülenist infiltration within Turkey.
Davutoğlu's background and his performance over the last 11 years already make him the most appropriate choice for the post of prime minister. Davutoğlu entered government service in 2003 as chief foreign policy advisor to Abdullah Gül, prime minister at the time, and then to Erdoğan before becoming foreign minster in 2009. In both positions, Davutoğlu was a hardworking and active player in key issues. Since 2009, he has established himself as a respected, intelligent and influential foreign minister on the world stage. His academic background, vast knowledge of history, philosophy and politics, strong will and warm personality made him one of the key figures of both the AK Party and the government. He played a central role in all the important decisions concerning national security and foreign policy. After becoming foreign minister and a member of Parliament, his popularity peaked among the general public. He also became one of the most familiar faces in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Davutoğlu has his critics and detractors as well. Over the last few years, he has been criticized for failing to implement his "zero-problem" policy in Syria, Iraq, Egypt and elsewhere. He has been accused of being a neo-Ottomanist with imperialist ambitions. He has also been charged with moving Turkey away from the West. These criticisms are based on ideological choices rather than an objective analysis of the facts on the ground. They deliberately disregard the larger context of Middle East politics and blame Turkey for remaining true to its strategic principles and moral values. In some cases, criticism of Davutoğlu and Turkey's foreign policy is used as a smokescreen to deflect attention from the collective failure of the policies of the big players in the region.
It is the failure of the international community in Syria that has led to the deaths of more than 200,000 people in Syria and forced millions of others to flee their country. The ISIS terrorist organization grew in the security and political vacuum created in Syria thanks to al-Assad's destructive policies and in Iraq thanks to al-Maliki's sectarian and exclusivist politicking. Turkey has been calling for a more decisive, coordinated and serious effort to resolve the conflicts in Syria and Iraq but to no avail. Instead of accusing Erdoğan or Davutoğlu, international players need to reassess their own strategic priorities and policies in the Middle East.
Davutoğlu's vision of Turkey and its geo-political position has given Turkey a new outlook on foreign policy, international relations and history. Davutoğlu has opened a new chapter in foreign policy thinking by positioning Turkey as a "center-country" and looking at the world from this vantage point. He has refused to confine Turkey only to the East or to the West and has shown that Turkey's multiple identities, which include the Ottoman past and modern democracy, are not mutually exclusive. This is an aspiring doctrine for the new generations of Turkey and is expanding their horizon in the world.
As foreign minister, Davutoğlu has expanded Turkey's foreign policy outlook and increased its presence and activism on a global stage. As prime minister, he will continue to implement Turkey's reform agenda as well as maintain political stability and economic growth. The AK Party's choice of Davutoğlu as the new party chairman and prime minister also shows Erdoğan's leadership skills. As he picks his former advisor and foreign minister as his successor, Erdoğan sends a strong message of unity, continuity and meritocracy. Someone like Davutoğlu who does not come from a political background can create a vision, implement it, climb the hierarchy of party politics and take on the party leadership.
This is an extremely good thing for Turkish politics where we have become accustomed to bitter fights of succession, divisions and internecine fighting. With a masterstroke, Erdoğan has eliminated all scenarios of division within the AK Party and entrusted an experienced, energetic and confident person to lead the party and the government.Ahmet Davutoğlu as prime minister is the confirmation of Turkey's strength and resolve to be a country of political stability, economic development, peaceful coexistence and smart and principled foreign policy.
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Presidential spokesperson for the Republic of Turkey
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