Today, Al-Jazeera came to our institution, and I gave an interview on the Turkish elections. In particular, we chatted about how much the electorate in Türkiye trusts the polls conducted during times of elections.
Türkiye's elections, of course, are critical. In other words, the upcoming elections in Türkiye will transform Iraq, Syria, the Middle East, the Balkans and the Caucasus; therefore, half the world is concerned, from the European Union to the United States, from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea, Russia, and Ukraine.
U.S. President Joe Biden was the first to divert attention to the Türkiye elections. As Biden was running for the presidency, he clearly stated that Erdoğan had to pay the price and that Washington should embolden Turkish opposition leaders "to take on and defeat (President Recep Tayyip) Erdoğan. Not by a coup, but by the electoral process," in an interview with the editors of The New York Times (NYT). By saying so, the presidential candidate Biden sent a message to Armenian American voters and announced good news for the opposition in Türkiye.
Nowadays, we are reading writeups against Türkiye and Erdoğan in the U.S., Germany, the U.K. and other Western countries. On the other hand, we look at the poor, oppressed societies, disadvantaged groups and exploited people, mainly in the Islamic world. The globe is almost split into two: the oppressed who support Erdoğan on one side, and the Western bloc and oppressors who want Erdoğan to fall on the other side.
Balance policy
In the last few months, I have traveled to many countries in Africa, the Middle East and the West. Interestingly, the Türkiye elections have become an event that concerns Malaysian, Indonesian, Azerbaijani and all peoples of Turkish states, people in the Balkans, and the oppressed in Africa.
Under President Erdoğan's leadership, Türkiye has become a country that can go along with both sides of the conflicting parties. Ukrainians are content with Türkiye's balanced stance. While Türkiye supplies genuinely effective armed drones to Ukraine, Russia is equally pleased with Türkiye's active neutrality. On the other hand, the Balkans is a ticking bomb that can be ignited by a slight spark before wars start again. I think the decisive stance of Erdoğan is forcing Serbs in the Balkans to maintain the status quo. Although Türkiye has historical bonds and is brotherly and supportive of Bosnians, Serbs also see Türkiye as an ally, and the Serbian government respects Türkiye.
On the other hand, there are many countries in Africa where we switch guards with France. And today, some countries are struggling with coups, insurgency and poverty. Azerbaijan's victory in the Armenian war has revealed that the side supported by Türkiye would be victorious in a regional conflict and that has fortified the image of Türkiye's hard power, which became apparent in Iraq, Syria and Libya.
Muslim world sees Erdoğan as a hero
The Muslim world and oppressed people perceive Erdoğan as a hero who helped Türkiye emerge as a developing and prosperous country among occupied and persecuted countries exposed to cultural hegemony, build an identity with national dignity and establish balanced relations with the West. And the government under President Erdoğan's leadership that succeeded in such development and prosperity has maintained democracy and Türkiye as a democratic country.
Under such circumstances, some fortunate citizens are able to assess the positive accomplishments of the government, and some journalists oppose it radically. I hope that the number of people who perceive the realities of Türkiye, who are aware of the risks and opportunities the country is in, and who put all the interests of Türkiye above their own will increase. And may this tension in Türkiye be resolved in favor of all the oppressed, the victims of injustice and the persecuted.