Turkey shows its 'soft power' throug key intl posts

Turkey's two-year non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for, set to conclude this week, may be its most significant international mission in recent years, coming almost a half-century since it last held a seat. In addition to the importance of that mission, the rotating helms of several regional bodies are currently being held by Ankara, while senior diplomats have helped boost Turkey's visibility in multilateral diplomacy with posts in international organizations. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's ambition and his personal support for such appointments is a decisive factor. However, the capabilities of these diplomats should not be ignored, with the ministry itself calling these appointments "concrete signs of Turkey's soft power." Istanbul will become a center for international peace and mediation efforts, Davutoglu said yesterday, speaking about Turkey's ambition to win another term on the Security Council, reflecting Turkey's determination to become more influential and visible as a soft power. Last month Davutoglu became chair of the Council of Europe's (CoE) Committee of Ministers, its executive arm, for six months. This January, Deputy Mevlut Cavusoglu became the first-ever Turkish citizen to head the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). In June, again at a summit held in Istanbul, Turkey took over the term presidency of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) from Kazakhstan. CICA members represent a region of the world plagued by various historical hostilities between members.