Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu opened the inaugural event of the Crown-Belfer Middle East Seminar Series on September 29. The series is a joint venture between Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and Brandeis' Crown Center for Middle East Studies.
Foreign Minister Davutoğlu discussed Turkey's efforts to embrace its own multi-regional identity and carry out a "pro-active, peace-oriented foreign policy agenda." Specifically, he said, Turkey has focused on increasing stability in the region through four major avenues: 1) Fostering contact between other leaders in the region, 2) Showing equal respect for the security of different ethnic and religious groups, 3) Integrating Turkey's economy with that of its neighbors, namely Syria and Iran so far, and 4) Eliminating ethnic tension by encouraging regional, religious and ethnic integration. Davutoğlu said he hopes that one day ordinary citizens will be able to drive from Tel Aviv to Damascus to Istanbul and beyond without difficulty or concern.
Davutoğlu's talk was followed by questions regarding Turkey's work in Iran, involvement in resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and domestic reactions to the Gaza Flotilla raid.
Nicholas Burns, professor of the practice of diplomacy and international politics at the Harvard Kennedy School, introduced the event by highlighting the critical importance of the Middle East region, including current issues in Iran, Israel and the Palestinian occupied territories. This is why, he said, Harvard and Brandeis wanted to bring Boston area experts together to discuss regional issues.
Turkey's Foreign Minister was the ideal leader to launch due to Turkey's increasing influence in the Middle East, according to Burns.
"Turkey is the only government [in the region] that can talk effectively with every other government," he said. "There is a lot to admire in the work that Turkey has done."
The event was held at the Harvard Faculty Club and was attended by co-chair Shai Feldman, director of the Crown Center for Middle East Studies at Brandeis, and more than 30 Boston-based scholars and journalists working on issues in the Middle East region.
Janka, Noelle. “Crown-Belfer Middle East Seminar Series Launches with Turkish Foreign Minister as Keynote Speaker.” October 7, 2010