Turkish ambassador to the US Osman Faruk Logoglu discussed the role of Turkey in the 21st century on March 15 in a pre-break address at Tufts, speaking about the importance of a secular Turkey in the aftermath of Sept. 11 when the possible ties of Islamic nations to terrorism are under scrutiny.
Logoglu, who spoke in the faculty dining room, stressed that Islam in no way supports terrorism. "Terror enjoys no religion and occurs everywhere whether there is a religion or not," he said. "It is not a justification of terror, and terror can't be explained anyway."
The ambassador stressed the strength of Turkey's relationship with the US in the wake of the September attacks. He said that since Turkey has experienced terrible acts of terror in its history as well, its friendship with the US now lies on more common ground. Logoglu said that due to its strategic location - geographically Turkey is in both Europe and Asia - his country has played an increasingly large role in world politics, particularly as member of NATO. According to the ambassador, in the immediate surroundings of many traditional Islamic governments, Turkey stands out as a secular democracy.
"The choices made by the Turkish society such as living a secular life with democracy are also some factors that make Turkey important," he said. "Turkey is in the center of all the conflicts."
But beyond Turkey's alliances and location, Logoglu stressed that his country's support of the US war on terrorism has made Turkey a powerful voice in a sea of what is perceived as lukewarm Arab support.
"Terrorism is the major problem," Logoglu said. "Turkey is in the forefront of the war supporting the USA after the Sept. 11 event as a friend, an ally, and a country with its own experience in terrorism."
He used Turkey, which is 95 percent Muslim, as an example where Islam, modernity, and democracy can coexist.
"In Turkey there is a secular way of life although the majority is Muslim," he said. "Everything is organized in contemporary modern laws. Marriages and divorces are under civil laws, not Islamic principles."
Logoglu also spoke about the Turkey's role in the ASAF, a project designed to rebuild Afghanistan. The Mediterranean nation has so far stationed 272 troops in the region.
After his speech was over, he answered the questions of an audience that mostly consisted of graduate students. He addressed a question about what Armenians refer to as genocide at the hands of the Turks early in the 20th century, saying that objective archives of both Armenian and Turkish origin should be examined, and that there should be a dialogue between the two countries.
"Saying that you are the only one who's right is not a dialogue. Good relations should be established because we are neighbors," he said.
The ambassador also answered a question about economic woes in Turkey and the role of the country's banking system in the crises.
"We had two serious economic crises because of the weakness of Turkish banking sector. We had a reform, and it will take some time for the banks to catch up with the reform," he said.
Though Turkish by nationality, Logoglu has spent many years in the US. He graduated from Brandeis University and received his Ph.D. from Princeton. His career started in the Foreign Service in the Department of Middle East and Africa in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Turkey. Later he was assigned to Brussels, and his next stop was Dhakka, Bangladesh.
He has also worked for the UN, as well as bilateral relations with Cyprus and Greece while in the Ministry. Afterwards, he traveled to Germany and then returned to Turkey where he was appointed as a special advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He served as an ambassador first in Denmark, and then in Azerbeijan.
