FM Davutoglu: "We are implementing the 4th restoration"

Turkey, strengthening its democracy and economy and introducing new goals for its foreign policy, has been going through a new phase of transformation over the past decade, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Thursday. Davutoglu described the past decade as the fourth major "era of restoration" that shaped the history of Turkey as well as the final decades of the Ottoman Empire. The first such period, according to Davutoglu, is the period of reformation known as "Tanzimat," which could be translated as "reorganization." That period, which began in 1839 and ended in 1876, witnessed the formation of state institutions that continued in the Republican era as well. The establishment of the Republic of Turkey constitutes the second phase, said Davutoglu, while the democratization steps of the 1950s is regarded as the third era of restoration. "The fourth major restoration took place during the last 10 years," he said while addressing a meeting of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO). According to the Foreign Minister, this final phase of reform rests on further strengthening democracy, which gradually "closed a gap between the state and the nation"; strengthening of the middle class, the main societal segment that keeps democracy alive through economic recovery; and a restoration in foreign policy to reflect the changes in the political and economic environments.