Speeches

U.S. Consul General Sharon Anderholm Wiener's Interview with Zaman

In Turkey, Democracy Belongs to the Public

by Çağrı Çobanoğlu

Zaman, October 1, 2007

Wiener spoke with Zaman for her first interview with the Turkish press.

The new U.S. Consul General in Istanbul, Sharon Anderholm Wiener, says that Turkey is a country committed to Western values and that democratic values are no longer espoused only by an educated class, but have spread throughout the general public.

Wiener, who has returned to Turkey as Consul General after working as a teacher in this country thirty years ago, spoke with Zaman for her first interview with the Turkish press.  The new Consul General Wiener, who made a comparison between the Turkey of the 1970s and today’s Turkey, indicated that things such as Turkish hospitality and the warmth of the Turkish people hasn’t changed, while the most interesting developments have been in the areas of the economy and democracy.  Wiener, who says that the culture of democracy is at a much higher level than what it was in the 1970s adds, “In the 70s there was political turmoil.  People were shooting each other because of political differences.  Today there is serious political debate as well, but now people of different groups express their own views in a democratic setting in [their] various newspapers. This is a significant change.”  Another of Consul General Wiener’s observations is that democracy has spread to the public base.  Wiener, who explains that democratic values have found a place for themselves in the broader public, adds that this is no longer “the democracy of an educated class [alone].”  However, during these early days of her term in Turkey, rather than democratization, the Turkish press has on its agenda issues such as “Is Turkey becoming Malaysia?”  Wiener, who was been in Lebanon as a student and served in Egypt, indicates that she doesn’t like such comparisons, and views Turkey as Turkey.  “Turkey was established on Western principles.  The United States views Turkey as a Western country and strongly supports Turkey’s EU accession process.  Turkey is a Western-oriented country.  It is a very Western country with regard to its democratic principles, rule of law and its government.”

To the question of, “Why is the U.S. image in Turkey so negative?” Wiener responded that she didn’t want to get into politics [political issues] very much, but that her job was to [further] develop Turkish-American relations.  She added: “When you look at the opinion polls, the U.S. image is rated very low.  There are a lot of reasons for this.  But I’m not sure we can understand all of them.  One of these reasons is Iraq.  However, the perceptions with regard to Iraq’s influence over the PKK aren’t completely clear.  There is a misunderstanding regarding what American politics really is.  Because the U.S. regards the PKK as a terrorist organization.  We are working with Iraq and Turkey to prevent PKK operations out of Northern Iraq.  We don’t want our allies to be subject to terrorism.”  Wiener, who underscores that the U.S., as a country and as a society, is represented by more than Iraq policy, adds that she believes that the educational exchange programs between Turkey and the U.S. will be conducive to fostering mutual understanding between the people of both countries.  The Consul General reminded us that there are still more Turkish students in the U.S. than from any other European country, and that the number of visas issued to Turkish students continues to increase.

The Third Female Consul General in Istanbul

Following Carolyn Huggins and Deborah K. Jones, a female diplomat has been appointed as Istanbul Consul General for the third time.  Sharon Anderholm Wiener, who is married and has two children, speaks Turkish, French, Arabic, Russian and Spanish.  She learned Turkish on her own during the three years she spent in Adana and Ankara.  Following graduation from college, she came to Turkey as a teacher while working with the military personnel overseas education program of the University of Maryland.  Wiener, who lived in Adana and Ankara between 1975 and 1978 with her spouse who is an attorney, bought books to learn Turkish.  The daughter of her neighbor, who lived in the apartment across the hall, also helped Wiener in her efforts to learn Turkish.  Although the Consul General’s Turkish may not be fluent, it is at a level where she understands most of what is said, and enough to express herself.  Wiener adds, “Language is the key to a society.  Without being able to communicate in their language, it is very difficult to understand what is important to people and what they are thinking.”  According to Consul General Wiener, who says that Turkish is a beautiful language and that it doesn’t have difficult grammatical rules, Turkish people react so positively when a foreigner speaks Turkish that one is motivated to learn the language even more.

Sharon Anderholm Wiener expresses that the appointment of another female subsequent to the previous Consul General Jones, is not policy, but simply a coincidence.  She adds that her new position in Istanbul is carried out along with a team of more than 300 employees.  Wiener, who points out that part of her job is to work with the intense flow of visitors and arrange programs for them, also adds that she has attended iftars and hosted them at her residence during Ramadan. 

The traffic in Istanbul was surprising

Wiener, the new U.S. Consul General in Istanbul, explains the traffic reality in Istanbul – a city with which she is not yet entirely familiar – in the following way:  “It’s surprising to see how many cars can fit in the same place at the same time.”