How do you assess the ongoing process of normalization of bilateral relations? During the past seven months our two countries have demonstrated their wish to keep working together…
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu: We were saddened and shocked by the tragic incident with the Russian plane that happened on November 24 of last year. Since then we have taken a number of steps to mend fences, but Russia, quite naturally, responded very emotionally to the downing of its plane and relations between our two countries suffered accordingly.
We did not introduce any sanctions against Russia, sticking firmly to our promise not to join any international sanctions against your country. Therefore, we are the only NATO country to have done so, and Russia and its people have had a chance to see this.
In any case, I think that during the past 7-8 months our two countries have started to better appreciate the importance of our mutually-rewarding partnership. Russia is Turkey’s good friend in the region and Turkey is the best and most reliable friend Russia can possibly find. Now that our relations are improving, some countries, which, during the period of crisis, advised us to maintain good relations with Russia, have suddenly started to worry about our rapprochement with Moscow.
They say that “it looks like Turkey is losing stability,” or “Turkey has turned its back on us by choosing to mend fences with Russia.” Then why, only three or four months ago, did they keep insisting that we do so. Unfortunately this reflects the double-faced nature of these countries. That’s why Turkey and Russia are ready to discuss our differences in an open and unbiased manner. We could differ on certain issues again but what really matters now is to bring our relations to a higher level than before.
Some experts call you “a friend of Russia.” They mention the support you were giving Russia during your presidency at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. I mean some countries attempts to recognize the 1930s famine in Ukraine as an act of genocide.
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu: I, just like everyone else in Turkey, have always considered Russia and its people as a friend. I have even started learning Russian. But on the international scene, including at PACE, I discharged my duties in an unbiased, fair and well-balanced manner, always staying away from the policy of double standards.
I told the Russian side that during my presidency I would not allow any double standards to be used against your country. This concerns the initiatives I made and the reports I filed there. The report on the Holodomor was really hard to work on, but I believe that I made an unbiased research. Naturally enough, there were some forces, including the Ukrainian government, who wanted me to characterize those events as genocide.
But I, as a politician, can’t classify the Holodomor as an act of genocide based on insufficient and controversial information. I will never forget the visits I made to Ukraine, the Caucasus, to Belarus and Kazakhstan during my work on the report. During a visit to Ukraine, before meeting with President Yushchenko, I talked to a group of scholars. When I asked them if they thought that Holodomor was an act of genocide, 40 percent said it was, 30 percent said it wasn’t and the rest were undecided. After that I told Yushchenko: “You want me to classify those events as genocide, but your own scholars remain divided on the issue. Then how can I singlehandedly decide on this?” As a result, after they read my report, even the Ukrainian delegation thanked me for the work I had done.
No matter where I worked I have always tried to maintain good relations with Russia, because I know the big role it plays in our region and in the world at large. I think that Russian politicians have noticed and appreciated this. I was the first foreigner to be awarded an honorary medal by Russian Federation Council.
It was given to me by Valentina Matviyenko who is a good friend of mine, just like Leonid Slutsky, Alexei Pushkov, Sergei Naryshkin, Dmitry Rogozin, Konstantin Kosachev and Mikhail Margelov. Their main task, however, is to strengthen our bilateral relations. During my visit to Moscow I met with your three religious leaders: Patriarch Kirill, Chief Rabbi Berl Lazar and Chief Mufti Ravil Gainuddin. We have established a good dialogue with all strata of Russian society and are ready to take this dialogue even further.
What kind of a cooperation mechanism are Turkly and Russia going to establish in the Middle East, including in Syria?
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu: Unfortunately, the situation in Syria is going from bad to worse. The Syrian problem can’t be solved fast by military force and armed struggle. Neither can it be resolved singlehandedly. That’s why we must work together to have a political solution and a sustainable ceasefire.
It’s a pity that peaceful civilians keep dying in Syria. Unfortunately, the earlier agreed ceasefire is being violated. We need to wage an all-out war against terrorist organizations in Syria. If we don’t flush them out, the wave or terrorism will keep spreading across the world, like an epidemic, threatening Turkey, Russia, Europe, the whole world.
The same goes for Iran. We are negotiating with them and are all set to strengthen our cooperation along this particular track. We should not forget about the countries in the Persian Gulf and in Europe. We must make our positive contribution to our common cause. We are convinced of Russian and Iranian support for our effort to secure the Syrian border and ensure the territorial integrity of that country. I am positive that by working together we will be able to resolve this problem.
There was a time when Turkey and Russia maintained mutually-beneficial military cooperation in the Black Sea region holding joint naval drills. What we often see happening there now are regular NATO exercises. Is there any chance of our two countries resuming their cooperation in this region?
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu: We don’t want the Black Sea to become an epicenter of tensions. We want to see it as a center of stability and cooperation. To make this happen each country needs to contribute to this effort. This region must not be allowed to become a source of threats to anyone, be it Turkey, Russia or anyone else.
All the countries in the south of the Black Sea region, Turkey included, are NATO members, hence the tensions that were inevitably created between us. However, during the recent NATO summit there was an overall understanding of the need to resume our dialogue with Russia. We need to strengthen this understanding and try to resolve our problems through dialogue.
Do you see any prospects of closer military-technical cooperation between Turkey and Russia?
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu: We want to boost our defense industry and are ready to work with anyone who is willing to work with us in the field of technology exchanges, joint investments and production.
We have previously proposed a number of cooperation projects to our NATO allies but, unfortunately, it looks like they are not eager to share their technology with us or engage in joint investment projects with our country. Turkey intends to develop its own defense industry and its defense potential and if Russia is interested in such cooperation we are ready to discuss this.
One problem that may arise here is how a NATO member-state is going to have such cooperation with a non-NATO member. Still, there are many NATO countries that cooperate with Russia in this area. Secondly, if someone does not want to work with us then they should at least not prevent us from cooperating with other countries. We want to strengthen our defense industry and our defense potential, that’s why we are ready to maintain contacts with and work with countries willing to cooperate with us in the area of investments and technology exchange.
Russia was one of the first countries to realize that Fethullah Gülen's organization FETÖ posed a threat. Schools established by this organization were closed in Russia a decade ago. What direction could Russia and Turkey's joint efforts aimed at tackling FETÖ take?
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu: Russia saw the threat and the danger that we did not recognize at first right from the beginning. We thought that supporters of this movement were law abiding citizens, believers. We could not imagine that they were secret agents. If Russia was wary of this organization, it must have had strong reasons to be concerned. This is why Russia is one of those countries which is largely unaffected by this issue at the moment. This is why Russia did not give this organization any chance to develop.
At the same time, the Dialogue organization that was established by FETÖ is currently active in Russia. We hope that Russia takes all the necessary measures in this respect. We highly value support that our friends provide us with regard to dealing with threats that Turkey faces.
Moreover, many branches of FETÖ have been active in other countries located in our region. We all face the risk that members of these structures will try to carry out coups like the botched putsch that took place in Turkey, grab power and strengthen their influence. This threat is real for Russia, Turkey and the region in general. This is why we need to work together to tackle this challenge.
Regarding Gülen's extradition…
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu: We sent an extradition request to the United States, providing all the necessary documents and papers. We have all the documents and evidence linked to the attempted coup at the moment. Turkey's justice minister is currently working on the case. We will share all the information with a delegation from the United States that will visit Turkey on August 23-24.
Up until this moment Turkey has approved all extradition requests received from the US. It is Turkey's natural right to demand the extradition of the head of a terrorist organization that became the reason why 240 people in Turkey lost their lives. He must face trial. Let no one doubt that all those extradited to Turkey, including those already detained and placed under investigation, will face trial.
I am convinced that the trial will be transparent and objective in accordance with our laws and within the framework of the constitution. Let no one have any concerns. We prevented a coup from succeeding. Judicial inquiries and other legal proceedings have been launched with regard to coup plotters. This will also apply to Gülen and others who will be extradited to Turkey.
Why did the West fail to provide all the necessary support to Turkey's legitimate authorities in the wake of the coup? Russia backed Turkish leadership. Some Russian experts have said that the coup attempt failed due to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's firm and tough stance.
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu: This is true. Mr. Erdogan's firm stance and his address to the Turkish people prompted the Turks to take to the squares, streets and airports across the country. This lasted a month. The Turkish people did not leave the streets and squares. If needed, they would have remained there for a year. Clearly, Turkish people who fearlessly took to the streets and blocked the road to tanks greatly contributed to preventing the coup from succeeding. This is why no words will be enough to describe how proud we are of our people.
However, Mr. Erdogan does not resemble the leaders of bygone days and Turkey is not what it used to be. Turkish people see the truth now. We will continue to speak the truth.
This is essentially why many countries and political leaders dislike Russian President Vladimir Putin. Mr. Putin tells the truth flat out, the truth about their mistakes and miscalculations. And they think that Russia and Turkey are second rate countries and complain that these second rate countries have the courage to criticize them. They think that they are the only ones who have the right to say these things openly. This is why they worry when they are faced with firm and direct rhetoric from Mr. Erdogan and Mr. Putin.
They need to understand that they will always experience this anxiety until they change their behavior. Our leaders will continue to evoke fear and concern in them. The West needs to understand this.
Look at what happened to Ukraine. They constantly threatened Kiev and forced it to make a choice between them and Russia. The said, "You will either be with us or with Russia." This approach is unacceptable. What is currently happening in Ukraine reflects the key problem in the region. Clearly, our stance on Ukraine and Crimea is obvious. With regard to Crimea our position on the issue could be different from Russia's stance on the issue. However, on the other hand we must understand why this happened. We have to face the truth. I expressed my opinion on the issue before and after the events in Ukraine. A year and a half — two years before the Ukrainian crisis I said that if things proceeded the way they were proceeding, then what happened in Ukraine would happen. Sadly, this is what happened. The West has to change its approach and its tactics. It should abandon its policy of patronage. This is a dead-end.
Why has the European Union failed to deliver on its promise given to Turkey to lift the visa regime?
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu: Sadly, xenophobic, Islamophobic and anti-Turkish sentiment, as well as the hatred of all that is different from the mainstream are on the rise in Europe. Populism in Europe has reached the highest level due to xenophobic sentiments and other negative factors. We have seen this trend even in those parties that have lost voters to radical movements.
They have become closer to radical and nationalist movements to receive their support and bring back lost votes. Essentially, they have been unable to fully adhere to the terms of the agreements due to populism. They need to adhere to these agreements fully or not observe the treaty at all. One cannot be selective about it. One needs to either comply with the deal, or not.
In response to our stance they have accused us of blackmailing or threatening them. No, we are not threatening anyone, but why then reach these agreements? To adhere to them. Otherwise why did we sign them? They are not used to such a stance. This is why they have been discontent.
Who benefited from a cold spell in relations between Russia and Turkey? Are the pilots who shot down the Russian aircraft FETÖ members? At what stage is the inquiry into Alparslan Çelik in?
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu: It is absolutely clear that neither Turkey, nor Russia benefited from the crisis in bilateral relations. In fact, no one benefited from it. With regard to Çelik, the judicial inquiry was re-launched and is ongoing. He is currently in prison in connection with other crimes. He will stay there until June 2017. The investigation is ongoing. The public prosecutor announced that if Russia has information that could aid the investigation, Moscow could send it to Turkey. It will be examined and added to the case. Some of the pilots that took part in the incident were detained on suspicion that they are linked to FETÖ and the attempted coup. This process is being thoroughly carried out. I think that it is improper to discuss the case until all facts of the matter have been reviewed.
