Turkish Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu has publicly voiced opposition to further sanctions on Iran meant to inhibit nuclear development. Mr. Davutoglu stated this position to Reporters Wednesday, “We don’t want to see sanctions. It will affect us. It will affect the region.” China, Brazil, and Lebanon, all current Security Council members along with Turkey, have also voiced their opinion that further diplomacy is needed before further sanctions are instituted. These voices make it highly unlikely that the Obama Administration will be able to pass new sanctions as quickly as they had hoped. In his statement, Mr. Davutoglu implied his feeling that Iranian authorities have demonstrated their willingness to be flexible to find a common ground with those who oppose nuclear development in Iran. However, Mr. Davutoglu failed to elaborate on this point. It is likely that Turkish opposition to further sanctions stems from their close relationship with Iran in Natural Gas trading and the memory of the negative impact sanctions had on Iraqi-Turkish trade during the 1990s. For more on this story, see the Washington Post.
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