İhsanoğlu slams AKP’s foreign policy, urges 'silent diplomacy' to get results

With less than three weeks to go to the polls, presidential candidate Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu continued his criticism of the government’s foreign policy, especially in the Middle East, arguing that the language used in foreign policy should be distinct from that used in domestic policies.

“Foreign policy language should be different from domestic policy rhetoric. The rules of silent diplomacy should be implemented to get results. Addressing the people in one way and then making a different statement on other grounds would create problems,” İhsanoğlu told Ankara bureau chiefs of media outlets on July 21.

İhsanoğlu increased his tone against the government, complaining of what he calls unfair and untrue accusations regarding his opinions about developments in the Middle East and on his performance as the secretary general of the Islamic Cooperation Organization (OIC). Both Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu have recently targeted İhsanoğlu for saying that “Turkey should be neutral in the Israel-Palestine row.”

“I have never said this. I have never said that Turkey should be neutral. What I have said is that ‘Let’s not take sides in an internal fight between our Arab brothers.’ I still say the same thing,” he said, complaining that his statements are frequently distorted by certain media outlets.

He added that Turkey had played a positive role in mediating between Israel and Palestine until 2010, but should refrain from taking sides in internal fights between Arab countries and Arab sovereign families.

“To understand today’s fight; you should know the reasons and background of historical fights...