As a part of the talks with prominent global leaders, the AUK students from the Master of Science in Global Management program have the privilege to discuss the multiple complex issues that define the spheres of foreign policy, economics and military affairs.
During the last seminar in Fall semester, they had a meeting with Ambassador Matthew Bryza, a former US Ambassador to Azerbaijan and a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia, who spoke on “Turkey’s Role in the Security of the Black Sea Region, and the Future of the Grain Deal”.
Describing Turkey, its role in the Black Sea region and the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Matthew Bryza outlined:
“Turkey sees itself as a benign actor working for stability regionally and globally, as a country that can help resolve problems, both militarily and also in the humanitarian sense.
While Turkey sees itself as a benign and stabilizing force, it is not afraid to use military force against russia to be a credible interlocutor and one that putin pays attention to. Also, Turkey is the one country in NATO that has proven a readiness to use military force against russia. They did that in Idlib, Syria and in Libya. Thus, whereas in Washington, Paris, Brussels and Athens, Turkey is seen as having been aggressive by using force in these areas, Turkey sees itself as having behaved in a way to restore a sense of justice.
When it comes to russia's invasion, Turkey is against it and wants to see Ukraine restore its territorial integrity. Turkey feels it has a special role in the Grain Deal to restore justice, which means that Ukraine can export its grain. It also means justice and humanitarian goodness by getting the grain to developing countries.
At the same time, Turkish military assistance to Ukraine by providing Bayraktar TB2 is also playing a major role on the battlefield. Ukraine and Turkey signed in 2019 a series of cooperation agreements that included both provision of drones and manufacturing drones now on the ground of Ukraine. So Turkey is really well positioned diplomatically to play this mediating role in foreign relations.”
We are highly thankful to Ambassador Matthew Bryza for his candid discussion with our AUK students, as well as to Mark Voyger, the Director of the MSc in Global Management program for organizing and moderating this Talk.
Dnipro
