BBC Hardtalk - Turkey's Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek 2/2

Stephen Sackur talks to Mehmet Simsek, Turkey's Finance Minister. Can his country afford to upset Washington and Brussels as it flexes its strategic muscle?

As the dream of EU membership remains a distant prospect, Turkey has been building new political and economic alliances, with Arab neighbours, Russia and Iran. Will this risk upsetting the US and Europe? Mehmet Simsek talks to Stephen Sackur.

On air in July 2010

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• BBC
• Hardtalk
• Turkey's
• Finance
• Minister
• Mehmet
• Simsek

[ikilicoglu]

Smart guy! And honest too!

[deeptuber109]

and he is a good response to those who lies about Kurds are oppressed in Turkey. He is pure Kurdish and he is our Minister of Finance.

[Ma010S]

The correspondent's behaviours and questions totally show that this guy -like many other people in western world- is unbale to understand Turkey properly.The mistake belongs to us.I hope our professors begin to write their books related to Ergenekon and deep state in English language too.

[ExtremeBogom]

Seems like a nice guy.  Always reassuring.

[TheTovarisc]

Actually beni bitirdi. Ama Sackur'a iyi dayanmis bakan.

[DuckingNDiving]

we have enough muslim terrorists,turkish people might be ok but a lot of islamics pass through their country,if we open out borders to them then we are screwed,turkey already allows greece to be flooded with bottom feeders from all over the muslim world

[opnasd]

He takes the biased and flawed questions correctly states them again, then gives satisfactory and smart answers. I liked his style

[kahvevotka]

@ilikebeertoo Turkey's position about Iran issue is crystal clear:

- Turkey supports nuclear bomb proliferation around the world

- Turkey does not want any nuclear bomb not only in Iran but around its region, for sure!

- But Turkey also does not want any war in its region

This is the frame for Turkish foreign policy on Iran. Turkey is trying to find an alternative way within this frame!

I do not know where you are from but would you like 2 big wars in your neighboring countries??

[kahvevotka]

@ilikebeertoo Actually the guy has already kinda answered this issue. Iran and Turkey/Ottoman has been neighbors for more than 1000 year and they are gonna be our neighbor for long long long times. Plus the border with Iran has never changed for the last 350 years. Right now there is a war in one of our neighbor, Iraq and we do not want a second war just the other side of our neighbors. Turkey would behave in the same manner if we were talking about not Iran but lets say Greece

[ilikebeertoo]

You made your bed with Iran, deal with it..