Turkey: The Hug of the Bear

At a Kremlin banquet last week, Russia’s Premier Aleksei Kosygin noted that it had been 33 years since a Turk ish head of government had last visited the Soviet Union. Turkey’s Premier Suat Hayri Urguplu obligingly replied that he would not try to analyze “the critical period of distrust in our rela tions,” since it was now over with. He added, “We are very pleased to be wit nesses to the gradual and confident de velopment of mutual understanding.” Though filled with diplomatic cliches, the speeches did reflect the cautious new warmth in Soviet-Turkish relations that has been evident of late. As recent ly as 1964, Turkish leaders were open ly derisive of Moscow’s efforts to bring the two ancient enemies closer together. But then came what many Turks re garded as President Lyndon B. John son’s “summons” of the then Premier, Ismet Inonu, to Washington for talks on Cyprus. Inonii returned home with little U.S. backing. Perhaps also influ enced by the success of Pakistan in playing East and West against each other, the Turks soon began smiling at their big northern neighbor. Also Unsettling. The latest events on Cyprus have hardly worked against friendship with Moscow. Last month Archbishop Makarios angered Ankara by abolishing the separate electoral rolls for Greek and Turkish Cypriots, which effectively barred the Turkish community from the seats it had held in the House of Representatives. Turk ish Cypriot Representatives, who have not been attending meetings for fear of their lives, tried to re-enter the cham ber but were refused admittance unless they would agree to relinquish the veto that they hold over legislation under the constitution. When Turkey angrily placed the matter before the U.N., Ankara’s NATO partners reaffirmed their desire for peace on the island, but failed to step in energetically on Turkey’s behalf. In Moscow last week, Urguplu made a pitch for stronger Soviet backing over Cyprus, but there were limits to what Premier Aleksei Kosygin could prom ise. Russia, like Turkey, is against enosis, the union of Cyprus with Greece, but the Soviets are not likely to go so far as to back Turkey’s desire for par tition of the island. The Turkish press blossomed with headlines when Kosygin promised the visiting Turks that the Kremlin would study ways to improve the living conditions of the hapless Turkish Cypriots. Though a new dollop of Soviet aid may come out of the trip, many Turks found Urguplii’s junket to Moscow un settling. The thaw with Russia has had the effect of setting off a growing clam or by leftist politicians, intellectuals and editors that a few years ago would have landed the most vocal in jail. It was enough to cause some second thoughts. Istanbul’s daily Diinya commented: “Improvement of Turkey’s relations with the Soviets is fine on one condition—that we always remain an ally of the U.S. and in NATO.”