Since Russia’s operation in Ukraine, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has met with the leaders of 35 countries, including the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte recently. Two weeks ago, the foreign ministers of Ukraine and Russia met for the first time in Antalya for negotiations.
Erdoğan, meanwhile, will attend NATO's extraordinary leaders' summit in Brussels with his delegation today. I expect the NATO and the Western bloc to acknowledge Turkey's importance and efforts for them, which have been better understood with the Ukraine crisis. The acknowledgment should especially come from the United States and some European countries. Some wrong decisions should be revisited.
For a while, the Western bloc almost treated Turkey as an enemy while the country has the second largest army in NATO and guards the southeastern border, one of the most dangerous points of the pact. They left Ankara economically and politically alone while it holds like a dam the millions of people attempting to flock to Europe from Asia and the Middle East. As if that were not enough, they undertook open actions to destabilize Turkey. In addition, the Western bloc targeted Turkey’s democratically elected political representatives with hostile statements, attempted to intervene in the country’s internal affairs, provided support to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) and the PKK terrorist group and its affiliates and imposed embargoes or sanctions. Despite the Western bloc’s double standards for years, Turkey still managed to maintain its positive approach to the European Union membership and preferred the bloc. On the contrary, the bloc did its best to push the country toward other axes.
However, the situation now seems to be changing. Some European and U.S. politicians have stopped their orientalist approaches to the country’s domestic politics and started making statements that give credit to Turkey and Erdoğan.
The recent news in the international media that Turkey may send Russian-made S-400 air and missile defense systems to Ukraine is another indication that the weather has turned. In news published by Reuters and the New York Times, it was claimed that U.S. officials attempted to transfer Turkey's S-400s to Ukraine. According to the news, Turkey's readmission to the F-35 program might come to the fore in return for this move. The issue was also brought up at the press conference of Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby on March 21. Kirby was asked whether the U.S. had discussed the issue of sending the S-400 system to Ukraine with Turkey. He did not deny the allegations and said he could not provide details. He said that the U.S. is in active negotiations with some countries on defense models, including long-range air defense systems that the Ukrainian army can easily use.
Doesn't it sound like a joke? Do you see what they are discussing? Ironically, they are the ones who arbitrarily said "No" to NATO member Ankara's request for the Patriots to protect its airspace. Did they forget that they violated international law and took Turkey out of the F-35 program and applied the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) sanctions against the country after it decided to buy the S-400s to meet its needs?
But hold on ... Russian President Vladimir Putin, who reminded everyone of his nuclear card once again on March 22, is likely to increase presence in the line drawn by NATO in Eastern Europe after the Ukraine war. Because Putin clearly saw how disorganized and clumsy the Western bloc is.
In this case, the strategic importance of powerful Turkey, which stands like an equipped aircraft carrier in the middle of the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, will increase even more. Ankara’s dominance on the energy transit lines in the straits that connect Russia with the warm seas will be worth gold.
The foresight of giant organizations that are responsible for the security and welfare of millions of Europeans and Americans, and their management by politicians at this level is a great threat to world peace. I hope that the summit in Brussels will yield significant and concrete decisions regarding the cooperation of NATO and the EU with Turkey.
