Reflecting on his days as an academic, Turkey’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmet Davutoglu spoke in Gaston Hall on Monday about Turkish foreign policy and his country’s relationship with the United States.

In his speech, Davutoglu emphasized Turkey’s importance in global affairs and the country’s hopes for greater global interdependence and peace.

“We want to have restoration in global politics, the global economy and global culture,” Davutoglu said. “We have a vision in Turkey . to create peaceful regional orders around us.”

Davutoglu worked in the academic world until November 2002, when he was appointed chief adviser to the prime minister and ambassador-at-large. He opened his speech by discussing his nostalgia for his life as an academic.

“People may think that once you have more power you have more freedom, but it is the opposite. Being a minister is hard,” he said. “You may have hundreds of ideas in your mind, but you have to have self-censorship.”

Eitan Paul (SFS ’12), chair of the International Relations Club, which co-sponsored the event, remarked on the academic influence on the speech.

“It was an interesting address in that he comes from a very intellectual and academic background,” Paul said.

In 2001, while he was a visiting lecturer at Turkey’s Military Academy, Davutoglu wrote “Stratejik Derinlik” (“Strategic Depth”). In it, he discusses the “zero problem with neighbors” theory, which emphasizes cooperation and establishing economic and cultural ties with neighbors rather than using sanctions or other harsh methods of diplomacy.

As minister of foreign affairs, a post he was appointed to in May 2009, Davutoglu has made his theory an integral part of Turkey’s foreign policy.

“My goal is to create a revolution in the old mentality of Turkish strategic thinking [that] all neighbors are enemies,” he said. “We need political restoration based on democratic values and economic restoration based on growth, but we can do it only if we restore our relations with our neighbors, with our allies and with new powers.”

Deflecting comments regarding Turkey’s conflicts with Greece and Israel last summer, Davutoglu said Turkey would work toward a common vision.

“Don’t worry, we will solve it,” he said.

“Turkey’s new approach to foreign policy is not without controversy,” Paul said. “A number of their positions are certainly less in line with U.S. policy and a Western approach to foreign policymaking.”

Kent Carlson (MSB ’14) felt that Davutoglu’s speech was very helpful for increasing his understanding of Turkey’s stance on various policies.

“I’d say he dodged some of the issues more than speaking candidly, but in the end he answered the questions, though not always fully,” he said. “