The Agenda

Author:Professor Dr.Ramazan Gözen of Ankara's Çankaya University

Turkey launched some important and striking initiatives in its foreign policy last year. The politically-tinged ones among them came to the fore. The initiatives regarding Syria, Iraq, Armenia and Iran were the most important of all. However, initiatives were not limited to them. Less covered but which ran parallel to the political initiatives were the efforts by Ankara to mutually lift visa requirements with neighboring countries. Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Libya and Albania lifted visa procedures for Turkish citizens in the January 2009-2010 period, and work is underway with Egypt, Romania and Azerbaijan in the same direction. A very important initiative launched by Turkey in this context was Ankara's proposal for Russia to lift visa requirements for Turkish citizens.

Visa procedures imposed either to stop or limit the entries of people to certain countries have a long history. They steadily gained prevalence as of 1980s. The primary goal of this restrictive step was to contain inter-communal movements which consistently increased as a result of the rapidly emerging process of globalization. The advanced, wealthy and western countries gradually toughened conditions to issue visas to the citizens of developing countries with the purpose of controlling their entries. Economic, security, health, social and political risks to come from abroad are what is usually cited as the reason for the imposition of visa requirements.

Whatever the justifications or reasons, visa procedures pose serious problems and generate unfavorable results in terms of international relations. First and foremost among them is the misperception which countries are likely to have of one another. Theoretically, visa procedures indicate the concern felt over the social and economic problems to arise from the other countries. This is something to adversely affect inter-state diplomatic relations. Visa is a sign of the social and economic mistrust between the country issuing it and those on which it is imposed. This inevitably entails a low level of relations between the concerned countries in economy, trade, tourism, education, sport and social areas. Imposition of visa requirements makes for more brittle relations than when no such procedures are required for entry to a country.

Turkey is one of the countries most unfavorably affected by the imposition of visas procedures. Many countries in the geographical proximity of Turkey started stipulating as of 1980s that Turkish passport bearers have visas to enter. The EU countries, in particular, deeply worried and concerned over the possibility of a very high number of travels and immigration entries from Turkey have been applying visa procedures for Turkish citizens. The imposition of these requirements on Turkish citizens by the EU countries is very disturbing because not only is Turkey a country in the membership process but is also one having sent millions of migrant workers to various EU countries.

Additionally, Turkey and the EU countries are allies within NATO. The visa procedures applied in the teeth of all this is indeed deplorable. Recent months have seen some progress toward lifting visa requirements for Turkish businessmen, though to no avail, as nothing substantial has been obtained so far in this respect. What is interesting is that Turkey’s neighbors and many others in the region are also imposing visa procedures on Turkish citizens. It is necessary for Turkish nationals to get visas if they are travelling to a horde of countries from Saudi Arabia to Bulgaria, to Kuwait, Romania and even Bangladesh.

We have to admit this is not good for Turkey's image. Today, there are a total 140 countries imposing visa requirements on Turkish nationals. The latest developments we talked about raised the number of countries which do not ask Turkish citizens of visa requirements to 56. Of the 140 countries which deny Turkish citizens entry unless they have visas stamped on their passports, most are western states, including the US and EU countries. And the countries in Turkey's region are not few in number either.

An important outcome of the imposition by Turkey's neighbors of visa requirements on Turkish citizens can be seen in the low level of relations. Turkey, for example, ranks first on the list of countries having the least trade volume with their neighbors. Turkey's trade volume with its neighbors and the countries to its east accounts for a mere 10 percent of its total trade volume. A bulky part of this volume stems from Turkey's oil and natural gas imports. The proportion of industrial and other products is embarrassingly low.

Turkey's relations with the regional countries in tourism, education, sport and other areas is almost at a zero level, which is indicative of Turkey's poor relations with these peoples. Those living in the vicinity of the Turkey-Syria border, for example, have had difficulties for years on end to get in touch with one another despite the fact that they are all relatives bound by blood.

The foreign policy targets or strategies of Turkey and its neighbors and the regional countries are one of the important reasons of why visa requirements have become a thing of the routine. The understanding Turkey formerly espoused spelled that it was surrounded by enemies, which naturally played a crucial role from Turkey's standpoint. Turkey's high population and unemployment rate were important factors from the perspective of the regional countries. The security and economic problems in the Middle East and the other regions can also be cited within this context. Regional instability and a bellicose climate unfortunately aroused the urge for the countries to be fenced off from one another with borders of high walls.

However, some noteworthy changes have taken place in recent years both in Turkey's foreign policy understanding and in regional circumstances. Turkey's zero problem policy aims at resolving all disputes not only with its neighbors but all regional countries, moving towards the creation of a medium conducive to the flourishing of multi-lateral socio-economic relations. One important requisite for this policy to be successful is the lifting of visa requirements. Therefore, the latest visa initiatives should be seen as Turkey's implementation of its efforts to build stability, prosperity and peace in the region.

On the other hand, the lifting of visa requirements for Turkish citizens by Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Libya mirrors the support lent by them to Turkey's foreign policy understanding and initiatives. It is also an expression of a shift in the right direction of these countries' perception of and confidence in Turkey and its citizens.

It is natural that Turkey's visa initiative should not end here. Efforts must be expended as vigorously as possible for all visa requirements imposed on Turkey in the world to be lifted. If the US and the EU countries allow Turkish citizens to enter their countries without visas, it is going to be a success as staggering as a revolution is.