VOA标准英语2009-Turkey-Iran Ties Continue to Worry West

By Dorian Jones
Istanbul
12 November 2009

Relations between Turkey and Iran appear to be getting closer and those ties are raising concerns among some of Turkey's Western allies. This past weekend, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said at a meeting in Ankara that his country is keen to bolster¹ relations with neighboring Iran. 

Increasing closeness between Turkish leaders and Iran, and Turkey's quest for better ties in the broader Muslim world, have fueled concerns in the West that this key U.S. ally is leaning toward the East.

But Turkey's president used a speech this past weekend at the opening of an Islamic nations' summit in Istanbul to try to ease Western fears.

 
Iran's Pres. Mahmoud Ahmedinejad (R),Turkish Pres. Abdullah Gul (L) chat before Organization of Islamic Conference meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, 09 Nov 2009
President Abdullah Gul told the Organization for the Islamic Conference's Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation that Turkey's foreign policy toward the West and in the East are "complementary to each other, not contradictory²."

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan displayed what many analysts³ say is a conciliatory view toward Iran's nuclear program.

"We want to live in a region totally free of nuclear weapons. Not only Iran, but all the countries who have nuclear weapons or developing nuclear armaments should be discussed," he said.

As relations warm between Ankara and Tehran, many in the West fear that Turkey, a modern secular⁴ predominantly Muslim state, and a vital bridge between Europe and the Arab world, is turning its back on the West to embrace Islamist regimes to the East - a vast region that extends from the Middle East to the Balkans, the Caucasus and Central Asia.

 
Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a press conference at the Turkish Embassy in Tehran, Iran on 28 Oct 2009
Already, Mr. Erdogan has announced plans to increase trade with Tehran from about $7 billion this year to $20 billion by 2011. Turkey and Iran reportedly have reached agreements on building power plants and developing natural gas facilities.

Turkish newspaper columnist⁵ Nuray Mert says the deepening relations are partly due to the similar backgrounds of Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

"Coming from a conservative religious background, Erdogan may feel more familiar with someone like Ahmadinejad, coming from a humble⁶ background - not only being a religious conservative, but also coming from humble background, having popular support. They have similar stories," he said.

Ankara says concerns in the West are overblown. Turkish officials say they merely are strengthening ties between East and West, and that its NATO membership makes Turkey ideally suited to mediate⁷ between the two sides.

Turkish journalist Nuray Mert says the real test will come if the international community implements⁸ tough sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program. She says that with Ankara's increasingly close ties with Tehran, it is unclear which side Turkey might choose.

"Turkey is intimidating⁹ the strategy of the Western world to put pressure on Iran, because we have signed a lot of economic agreements with Iran. It's quite contradictory on the eve of implementing¹⁰ sanctions. But we did not come to the point of giving the last decision about Iran, if Turkey will side with the Western world," he said.

Suat Kiniklioglu, a spokesman for the Turkish parliament's foreign affairs committee, says the country is working behind the scenes to resolve the tensions over Iran's nuclear ambitions.

"We've proposed Turkey facilitating and hosting and the two sides agreed to it. But unfortunately, the Iranian side decided¹¹ they were not ready at this time to talk to the Americans directly. So I believe it is only matter of time when it will happen, and it most likely it will probably happen in Istanbul," he said.

But Turkey's deepening relations with Tehran coincides with a cooling in ties with its once strategic ally, Israel.

 
File photo shows Turkish men waving Palestinian flags in Istanbul at a solidarity¹² night with Palestinians, 07 Feb 2009
Analysts say the relationship has been damaged by the outrage¹³ felt by many Turks at what they perceive as Israel's oppression of the Palestinians, particularly during the conflict in the Gaza Strip last year.

Even before the violence in Gaza, Prime Minister Erdogan - a strong supporter of the Palestine cause - did not hesitate to describe some of Israel's actions as "state terrorism".

In September, Turkey, which was also hosting indirect peace negotiations¹⁴ between Syria and Israel, canceled its annual joint¹⁵ military maneuvers¹⁶ with the U.S. and Israeli airforces. According to Prime Minister Erdogan, he did "not want Israeli war fighters, which killed innocent civilians¹⁷ in Gaza" to fly over Turkish territory.

Analysts say that could be a topic for discussion next month, when Mr. Erdogan travels to Washington for talks with U.S. President Barack Obama. 

1 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

2 contradictory   

adj.反驳的，反对的，抗辩的；n.正反对，矛盾对立

参考例句：

• The argument is internally contradictory.论据本身自相矛盾。
• What he said was self-contradictory.他讲话前后不符。

3 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

4 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

5 columnist   

n.专栏作家

参考例句：

• The host was interviewing a local columnist.节目主持人正在同一位当地的专栏作家交谈。
• She's a columnist for USA Today.她是《今日美国报》的专栏作家。

6 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

7 mediate   

vi.调解，斡旋；vt.经调解解决；经斡旋促成

参考例句：

• The state must mediate the struggle for water resources.政府必须通过调解来解决对水资源的争夺。
• They may be able to mediate between parties with different interests.他们也许能在不同利益政党之间进行斡旋。

8 implements   

n.工具( implement的名词复数 )；家具；手段；[法律]履行（契约等）v.实现( implement的第三人称单数 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• Primitive man hunted wild animals with crude stone implements. 原始社会的人用粗糙的石器猎取野兽。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• They ordered quantities of farm implements. 他们订购了大量农具。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 intimidating   

vt.恐吓，威胁( intimidate的现在分词)

参考例句：

• They were accused of intimidating people into voting for them. 他们被控胁迫选民投他们的票。
• This kind of questioning can be very intimidating to children. 这种问话的方式可能让孩子们非常害怕。

10 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

11 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

12 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

13 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

14 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

15 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

16 maneuvers   

n.策略，谋略，花招( maneuver的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He suspected at once that she had been spying upon his maneuvers. 他立刻猜想到，她已经侦察到他的行动。 来自辞典例句
• Maneuvers in Guizhou occupied the Reds for four months. 贵州境内的作战占了红军四个月的时间。 来自辞典例句

17 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。