BY HIKMET BILA
CUMHURIYET- There are certain key turning points in 80 years of Turkish foreign policy. I’m not counting the War of Independence or the Treaty of Lausanne since they are developments which led to the establishment of the Turkish Republic. Among these turning points are Hatay choosing to be in Turkey, our neutrality during World War II, our joining international organizations like the United Nations and the Council of Europe, the Korean War, our NATO membership, and the Cyprus Peace Operation. Another important development was the Turkish Armed Forces’ (TSK) war against terrorism in the country’s southeast.
After the passage of some time, the importance of these developments came to be generally recognized. Today we are again at an historical crossroads. Are we aware of this, or when we realize its importance will it already be too late?
I don’t know why, but Turkey is being faced with an inconceivable brute force. I say I don’t know why because this pressure lacks a reasonable justification, as those seeking to pressure on Turkey will not be able to benefit from its result. Brute force and filth: This, in a nutshell, is the policy that our Western ‘friends and allies’ follow over Turkey.
In the first place, we have Cyprus. Why is the West smothering us with such pressure? With lies and naked partiality, violating every Western value including the Copenhagen criteria, they’re trying to make Turkey give up on Cyprus.
And then we have the case of the southeast. An attack that began there in 1984 spanned 15 long years until 1999. Now Turkey is faced with a more extensive assault. Though Ankara declared this a casus belli, the US is working to establish an independent Kurdish state in northern Iraq. At the same time the European Union pointedly included a passage on the ‘southeast’ in its recent statement on Turkey. Now where is the southeast exactly? Those who draw maps and are seeking a Kurdish state in northern Iraq call it ‘northern Kurdistan.’ Is there any chance of Turkey intervening in developments in northern Iraq? No. Earlier this year the US took Turkish troops in the region in Sulaimaniya into custody. Turkey could neither put its troops on alert nor protest the incident. Furthermore, the US forced a provision barring Turkish troops from entering northern Iraq into the $8.5 billion Turkish loan agreement. The US can do anything it wants in the region. While the US eliminates groups that threaten it, it flirts with terrorist organizations that threaten Turkey.
America is working in northern Iraq, and Europe in Turkey’s southeast. Both the US and Europe are working in Cyprus. EU membership, globalization and words about human rights won’t change the reality of this critical situation. I don’t know what Europe and the US hope to gain from manhandling Turkey. I call this foolishness. But sometimes fools also make history.
In this era and in its context, there is a need for bold moves to protect Turkey’s interests and face up to the West. But who will do this?