Turkey's presidential election will bring changes
- By Jin Liangxiang
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E-mail China.org.cn, August 14, 2014
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Photo taken on Jan. 4, 2014 shows a trial train take a test run on the Ankara-Istanbul high-speed railway constructed by China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC) in Turkey. Erdogan inaugurated the first high-speed train running on the railway on July 25, 2014.[Xinhua/Liu Yu] |
Erdogan's election will be a new variable in Turkey's domestic politics. As votes indicate, Erdogan enjoys significant support at home. But on the other hand, dissatisfaction with his policies is also obvious. In the last decade, Erdogan has been frequently criticized for not being secular, and he is regarded by many as a dictator rather than a democrat. Many liberals believe that after Erdogan is inaugurated as President, he will adopt measures to strengthen the power of the presidency. Many even predict that he will become like Vladimir Putin. Therefore, it is expected that after Erdogan assumes the presidential post, tensions between his opponents and his supporters will grow.
With Erdogan's election, Turkey's current foreign policy stances will continue, and changes will be modest. Turkey's current foreign policy actually reflects the consensus of Erdogan as the incumbent prime minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, the incumbent foreign minister, and Abdullah Gul, the incumbent president. Erdogan's election will strengthen rather than weaken the roles of these three politicians. It has been predicted that Davutoglu will likely be nominated as prime minister, while Gul will be elected chairman of AKP, the Justice and Development party, at the end of this month.
This indicates that Turkey's foreign policy will see more continuity than change, which means that Turkey will continue to get involved in and strive to play a leading role in regional affairs while keeping a certain distance from the West. Turkey will be a major supporter of the Palestinian right to nationhood, and will play a major role in Syrian and Iraqi affairs.
During Erdogan's presidency, Turkey's relations with China will be further strengthened. Erdogan advocates close relations between Ankara and Beijing. He has placed strict restrictions on the activities of the so-called East Turkestan Movement in Turkey, and he has strongly promoted Turkey-China economic cooperation. For instance, a Chinese company is one of the investors in the high-speed railway between Ankara and Istanbul, which was put into operation just months ago. Hopefully, the Turkish government's appreciation for China's cheap technology will help a Chinese company win the bid to build a high-speed railway running from Turkey's West to East in the coming months. Erdogan also supports buying China's missile defense system, which has greatly angered the West.
During Erdogan's campaign, while his opponents stressed "unity and neutrality," he talked a lot about infrastructure projects. This signifies that Turkey-China relations will develop greatly since China certainly has competitive advantages in infrastructure construction.
The author is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit: http://china.org.cn/opinion/jinliangxiang.htm
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