US, WASHINGTON (ORDO NEWS) — When Ahmet Davutoglu was Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey from 2009 to 2014, he often spoke about the central role of Turkey not only in the Middle East, but also on the world stage. The current head of the Turkish Foreign Ministry seems to adhere to the same point of view. Thus, according to Mevlut Cavusoglu, having such a leader as Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the head of the state, Turkey is obliged to behave as a global player, Al-Monitor writes.
Another confirmation of this course was the unexpectedly harsh reaction of the Turkish Foreign Ministry to the joint statement of the foreign ministers of Egypt, Greece, Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates and France, which condemns the “illegal drilling of gas by Turkish companies in the Eastern Mediterranean.”
The Turkish Foreign Ministry, in its response, accused the signatory countries of the statement of “insanity because Turkey violated their plans”, as well as “the desire for regional chaos and instability.” The word “Cyprus” is not mentioned in the text, and the abbreviation GCA (Greek Cypriot Administration, or Greek Cypriot Administration) is used instead.
It should be noted that three out of five countries that caused Turkey’s anger are members of the European Union, with whom, according to observers, Ankara will have to restore good relations after the coronavirus crisis, which had a devastating effect on the Turkish economy.
Particular dissatisfaction of the Turkish authorities is directed at Paris, which allegedly seeks to create a “terrorist state in Syria”, which, according to Ankara, is detrimental to the security of Turkey. “It’s obvious that France, whose intentions to create a terrorist state in Syria were frustrated by our Peace Spring operation, is trying to be the patron saint of the axis of evil,” Cavusoglu said in a statement.
It is difficult to understand why the Turkish military operation against the Syrian Kurds in October 2019 was interpreted by Ankara as a disruption to the intentions of France, Turkey’s NATO ally, in northeastern Syria. In addition, it is not clear who enters the axis of evil defended by Paris.
On May 11 (or the day when the bellicose statement of the Turkish Foreign Ministry was published), Cavusoglu also accused the UAE of “bringing chaos to the Middle East.”
“If you ask who destabilizes the region and who causes chaos, we will not hesitate to answer Abu Dhabi,” Cavusoglu told Akit TV reporters. “It was they who became the force that excited Libya and destroyed Yemen.”
He also accused the Emirates of supporting militants in Somalia, where Turkey has a military base.
The dubious foreign policy goals of Turkey, experts believe, are not limited to France, the UAE and the axis of evil countries, but also extend to the vast territories of the Eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East and North Africa. They also include the United States and the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq, as they mediate between rival Syrian Kurdish groups.
Turkey seems to intend to conflict with everyone.
In the midst of an unprecedented in its scale economic and financial crisis, requiring Turkey to have the best possible relations with the United States and the European Union, the trajectory of Turkish foreign policy puzzles many experts.
On May 13, The Wall Street Journal reported a sharp reduction in Turkey’s gold and foreign exchange reserves and that the country was rapidly moving to a deep economic crisis. In this situation, it is most reasonable to pursue a flexible and peace-loving foreign policy, that is, the exact opposite of what Turkey Erdogan is doing in the international arena.
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