Türkiye’s evolving global diplomacy based on making more friends is interpreted as a shift in its focus away from the West – an assumption Defense Minister Yaşar Güler denied in an interview on Monday.
Güler told Reuters that membership in NATO does not prevent Türkiye from developing relations with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), stressing that Ankara is fully committed to its responsibilities to the military alliance.
Last month, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Türkiye wants to be a partner in the SCO, a security, political and economic club launched in 2001 by Russia, China and Central Asian states as a counterweight to Western alliances, adding there was no reason for it not be a permanent member of the group.
"Apart from that, our priority is to fulfill our responsibilities to NATO as an important ally and to strengthen the solidarity with our allies. Our focus should be that NATO is prepared, determined and strong," Güler said in his written interview.
Ankara's interest in the BRICS group of nations and its friendly ties with Russia, namely in energy, tourism and defense, have stirred fears among Western nations that Türkiye’s alliances may be pivoting. However, Ankara has repeatedly said it remains a committed NATO ally.
The SCO was founded in 2001 but has become prominent recently. Alongside China, Russia and Belarus, its full members are India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan. It is intended to be a platform for cooperation in competition with the West, focusing on security and economics and Central Asia in particular, and claims to represent 40% of the global population and about 30% of its gross domestic product (GDP).
BRICS is a bloc of emerging economies, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and recently admitted Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as full members.
As it assumed a growing role in international affairs in the past two decades, Türkiye seeks more cooperation opportunities and juggles delicate diplomacy without offending friends while looking to make new ones. Turkish officials often highlight that Türkiye’s good relations with Russia and China and the exploration of new alliances in Asia and beyond should not be viewed as a response to Western alliances disappointing them. Türkiye is among the strongest members of NATO and maintains good relations with Russia’s adversary, Ukraine. It also seeks membership in the European Union, which supports Ukraine against Russia, although the bloc repeatedly hindered its accession.
Güler also spoke about possible normalization with the Assad regime of Syria.
Last month, Erdoğan said he would invite Bashar Assad to discuss normalizing ties, which Ankara severed after the 2011 Syrian war. But, Assad has said such talks could only happen if the neighbors focus on core issues, including the withdrawal of Turkish forces from the north of Syria.
Güler said the neighbors could meet at a ministerial level again, as part of Ankara's regional charm offensive launched in 2020, if suitable conditions are created.
"We are ready to provide all the support we can for a comprehensive constitution to be accepted, for free elections to be held and for a comprehensive normalization and security atmosphere to be created, and only when these are done and the security of our border is fully ensured will we do what is necessary through mutual coordination," he said, in response to a question on the possibility of a Turkish pullout from Syria.
