PM again rejects claims of axis shift in Turkish foreign policy

Turkey doesn't choose its foreign policy path according to outside directives but in line with its own interests, said Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday. Speaking at a Turkey-Syria Business Council meeting in Damascus as part of his official visit to Syria, Erdogan again rejected claims of an axis shift in Turkish foreign policy, saying that Turkey will not give up its policy of fostering friendly ties with neighboring countries such as Syria just because some see this as part of a shift from the West to the East. "Not only are we abolishing visas, we will remove other obstacles, too," he said. "We will sign partnerships which could be a model for the world. We have this potential." Erdoğan told the gathering he wants to expand the Turkish-Syrian partnership to the entire region. "Everyone is free to say whatever they want," he said. "But I find these arguments (of an axis shift) ill intentioned. The rapprochement between Turkey and Syria is actually the normalization of bilateral relations. What is wrong is not today's rapprochement, but rather yesterday's distance and the visa issue." He added, "Development and prosperity in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and other regional countries means nothing on their own. Because we live in a common region. Besides, we have nations that are relatives with each other." Stating that Turkey wants peace, prosperity, stability and security in the region, Erdogan said businesspeople seeking investments in other countries look for stability and confidence. "We have to establish an atmosphere of prosperity, peace, security and stability on the regional scale, not in individual countries," he said. "So we can't neglect the problems of Syria, Iraq or Lebanon. Their problems affect us too." Erdogan said countries should act with solidarity and cooperate more in order to reach such goals. On economic relations, Erdogan said he was pleased to see "excitement" between Turkey and Syria, adding that their steps would influence other countries in the region. Erdogan said Turkey is Syria's gateway to the Black Sea, the Caucasus and Europe, while Syria is Turkey's gateway to the Middle East, the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf region. Erdogan also said that their bilateral trade volume, which stood at $2 billion last year, should be raised to $5 billion in the next three to four years. "We have the political will to do that. Hopefully, we will succeed," he said. "Turkish and Syrian businessmen can invest in third countries by establishing joint companies." Erdogan also touted his Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) economic performance over the last seven years, as it nearly tripled the country's gross domestic product from $230 billion to $742 billion.