Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia and Eme

The Future of Turkish Democracy Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia and Eme

Publisher Marketing: Turkey is a strategically located American partner and a valued NATO ally. And with the creation of the Southern Gas Corridor, Turkey is poised to become a key energy transit country for the European Union. Turkey has also taken in a huge number of civilian refugees from Syria, most likely over 1 million men, women and children. The relationship between the Turkish people and the American people is built not on geostrategic calculations but on shared democratic values. During the Prime Minister Erdogan's more than 10 years in office he has led Turkey to tremendous economic growth, averaging more than 5 percent a year. Unfortunately political freedom in Turkey cannot be measured by the country's level of economic prosperity. The prime minister has been at times intolerant of legitimate political opposition. The AK Party has increasingly gone down a dangerous path. And when faced with tough opposition, instead of negotiation and compromise the ruling party has often been intransigent and vengeful. The United States wants Turkey to be a stable ally on the edge of the Middle East. And as the Middle East goes into such turmoil it is even more important that we have a stable Turkey, but we don't want stability at the price of democracy.