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Ahmadi Nejad Visit Leaves Turks Confused

By Adam Gonn

The resent visit by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadi Nejad to Turkey left many locals both wondering why he came and offended by some breaches of protocol.

Turkey maintains a unique position both geographically and politically with its strategic location between Europe and the Middle East. The country is both an ally of Washington through its North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership, and a friend of Tehran based on energy cooperation and mutual concerns about Kurdish nationalism.

Both countries have large Kurdish populations that are striving for a country of their own.

"It was not a good visit," Yusuf Kanli, former chief columnist of the Turkish Daily News told The Media Line.

"Turkey needs to diversify its natural gas imports. At the moment Turkey imports some 65 percent of its gas from Russia, but the country needs a more reliable source," said Kanli.

However, while no deal was signed, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that in 15 days a delegation would travel to Iran to complete the deal.

Ahmadi Nejad's repeated calls for the destruction of Israel and defiance of the U.S. regarding the country's alleged nuclear weapons program was a headache for his hosts, according to Kanli.

During the visit, which, contrary to protocol, took place in Turkey's economic capital Istanbul and not in Ankara, the country's national capital.

Ahmadi Nejad did not visit the mausoleum of the founding father of modern-day secular Turkey Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, which is seen as mandatory when a foreign head of state visits Turkey.

Ataturk's legacy and importance is still very strong, and last month the ruling Justice and Development Party, which has its roots in Islam, was brought to court over accusations of violating the secular nature of the country.