Hillary Clinton Will Meet with Kılıçdaroğlu

American secretaries of state rarely find the time to meet with leaders of the opposition party in the countries they visit. But Turkey is no ordinary country. And Hillary Clinton is no ordinary secretary of state. In her upcoming visit to Turkey, scheduled for Feb. 7, the U.S. secretary of state plans to meet with Prime Minister Erdoğan and Secretary of State Ahmet Davutoğlu, as well as the new leader of the CHP, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. Hillary Clinton’s visit carries importance not only for the CHP, but also for Turkish-American relations, which have experienced turbulence over the last few years.

Hillary Clinton, who was invited by Ankara some time ago, intends to meet with some of Istanbul’s non-governmental and cultural organizations as well. Clinton was also invited to the ambassadors summit that took place in Erzurum last week, but could not attend due to her visit to the Middle East. This time, Clinton’s agenda includes restoring the confidence of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan, who was especially offended by the WikiLeaks documents; Iran’s nuclear program; the government crisis in Lebanon; and issues involving Iraq, Afghanistan and Cyprus.

Emphasis on Democracy

The meeting with the CHP aims to send the message that Turkish-American relations are not limited to the AK Party and that the United States gives credence to Turkish democracy. From Kılıçdaroğlu’s point of view, being in the same photo with Clinton is symbolic for a different reason. The CHP leader places importance in the photo because it will give the sense that he is a leader who is taken seriously by the international community. It also separates him from Baykal-era foreign policy, which was dubbed by the West to be “isolationist” and “anti-Western” for years.

American sources have stated that although Clinton’s schedule was not finalized, they have been in touch with the CHP and that Clinton intends to meet with them. CHP sources have confirmed this.

The “Red Book” at the CHP

When Kılıçdaroğlu meets with Clinton, he will have the chance to explain the party’s foreign policy priorities and the new CHP doctrine, which was prepared by retired ambassadors at the CHP, Osman Korutürk and Faruk Loğoğlu. This new text defines a Turkey that is more oriented toward Europe and is looking to strengthen its relationship with the West, while at the same time embracing its role as a regional leader in the Middle East.

The CHP administration believes that the perception of the CHP being “anti-Western,” which has been cemented in the past few years, needs to change.

Post-storm with Washington

However, there are points in the new CHP doctrine that differ from the AKP’s foreign policy vision. According to sources familiar with the text — which will also be discussed in the Central Executive Board meeting — “The goal is not to just criticize the government. However, as a social-democratic party, we believe that foreign policy should be more transparent, more realistic, and that it should essentially be based on democratic values like human rights and gender equality.”

Ties between Washington and Ankara had almost been put on hold at the beginning of last summer after the Mavi Marmara crisis and the subsequent Turkish vote against U.N. sanctions on Iran. As WikiLeaks documents have made clear, there is widespread belief in the U.S. administration that Turkey is going through a “shift of axis.” Congress, which seriously influences foreign policy, has had a reactive attitude toward the AK Party administration, especially since the Mavi Marmara crisis. However, Washington’s concern is not only Turkey shifting its axis. Despite everything, being aware that Turkey is an important actor in the region, the Americans do not want to have Turkey against them, especially on topics like Iran and Iraq, or push them further away from the West. The U.S. administration is not unhappy about the AK Party’s leadership ambition in the region. However, they are uncomfortable that AK leadership seems “too close” to the Iranian administration and Hamas, and “too far” from the consensus of the Western alliance on issues such as the missile shield or enforcement.

It is well-known that despite there being a similarity of views between the AK Party government and Washington on issues such as Iraq and Lebanon, the relationship can no longer be defined as a “strategic partnership.” Turkey has the confidence to act both with and against the U.S.

Clinton’s visit comes at a time when the two nations are both far and close — both allies and regional competitors.