The Turkish ambassador to the US is to return to Washington, D.C., after being recalled to Ankara as part of Turkish reactions to a vote on a controversial resolution at a US congressional committee; before his departure he expressed cautious optimism that the “Armenian resolution” issue would be resolved. Turkish Ambassador to the United States Nabi Åžensoy, who had been recalled to Ankara “for political consultations” over the so-called Armenian resolution after its passage at the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs, answered reporters’ questions in the VIP hall of Atatürk Airport in Ä°stanbul before flying to New York.
To the extent that one can draw an inference from one press statement, it seems that the Turkish government feels empowered by the test of wills with the US House leadership:
Regarding the message he will convey to US officials, Åžensoy said: “My most important message will be to explain the great disappointment and frustration that the developments over the Armenian resolution caused among the Turkish people. I will convey the sensitivities of Mr. President and the government officials to them once again. I will tell them of Turkey’s expectations and the serious troubles that any further move in this process will cause in Turkish-US and other relations. I hope that such warnings will not be needed. Indeed, as far as I see, there has been a reversal of the wind. I expect this issue will not be taken any further.”
The US-Turkish relationship has been a strong and productive one. It’s unfortunate that Speaker Pelosi failed to foresee the strong opposition that would emerge to her plans to vote on the resolution. Had the vote taken place, it would have caused significant damage to the war effort in Iraq. With its cancellation,Turkey has learned how much clout it carries in Washington. It’s clear that there was no good outcome from the decision to take a vote, and US national security policy has suffered as a result.
