NEW DIPLOMACY OF THE TURKS; BOTH EAST AND WEST
by Ahmad Kazemi
Javan Newspaper (in Persian)
Oct 29 2009
Iran
As a sign of protest to the continuation of the crimes of the Zionist
regime against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the Turkish
government has prevented the armed forces of that regime from taking
part in annual air exercises with a number of other NATO countries.
Those exercises were due to be held under the code name of "Anatolian
Eagle", with the participation of Israeli, Italian, American and the
members of NATO between 10-20 October of the current year (18 Mehr to
2 Aban). However, following Turkey’s opposition to the participation
of the Zionist regime, followed by the refusal of a number of Western
countries to take part in those exercises as a sign of protest to
Turkey’s decision, the exercises that had been planned to be held on
those days were cancelled.
Ever since the year 1996, when on the initiative of General Cevik Bir,
the architect of military relations between Turkey and the Zionist
regime, the military relations between the two countries were made
public, this is the first time that Turkey has adopted such a position
vis-a-vis Tel Aviv.
Turkey’s decision to eliminate the name of the Zionist regime from the
list of the participants in the Anatolian Eagle exercise has given
rise to different reactions. Philip Crowley, the spokesman of the
American Ministry of Foreign Affairs [State Department], in a press
conference said that taking Israel’s name out of the list of the
participants in the exercises had not been a correct move. Holland
and Italy that were also due to take part in those exercises did
not take part in them due to the Turkish decision. The officials of
the Zionist regime also announced that they would review the sale of
advanced weapons to Turkey.
As the result of the tension that has come about due to Turkey’s
opposition to the participation of the Zionist regime in the exercises,
on 21 Mehr [12 October 2009] the Zionist regime summoned its ambassador
to Turkey. She also protested against some programmes on Turkey’s
state television, especially a serial called "Separation" broadcast
on the TRT television network, which is about the Zionist regime’s
Cast Lead Operation and aggression against Gaza. Two months ago,
in reaction to the Zionist regime’s refusal to allow Turkish Foreign
Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to visit Gaza from the occupied Palestine,
he decided to cancel his visit [presumably to Israel].
The fact is that since the collapse of the hated monarchical regime in
Iran, Turkey has been known as the closest political and military ally
of the Zionist regime in the Islamic world. In 1949 Turkey recognised
the filthy existence of the Zionist regime, and from the year 1996
when the bilateral military co-operation between the two sides became
public, Turkey has been very sensitive towards those relations. The
extremist secular military officers of Turkey have been the strongest
supporters of relations with the Zionist regime. So far, Turkey
has signed scores of agreements, including some agreements on the
purchase of weapons and the renovation of Turkey’s military aircraft
and tanks by the Zionist regime. Some of those agreements have been
very important in preventing the bankruptcy of some of the Zionist
regime’s military companies. As a result of those co-operations, the
Zionist regime has been one of the fixed pillars of joint military
exercises with Turkey.
During the past decade, Turkey and the Zionist regime have repeatedly
held joint military exercises. The Anatolian Eagle exercises were
due to be the biggest and most important joint air exercises in the
whole world. These exercises had been held regularly on an annual
basis since 2001, and in all those exercises in addition to NATO
countries the Zionist regime has also taken part. The last case of the
participation of the Zionist regime in the Anatolian Eagle exercises
was between 28 April and 16 May of last year in Kunia. The Zionist
regime also takes part in Turkey’s naval exercises. The last of such
exercises was the Bride of the Sea exercises that were held at the
beginning of last summer. In fact, after the 22-day war in Gaza and
Rejeb Tayyip Erdogan’s protest to Shimon Peres, the president of the
Zionist regime, in Davos, the Bride of the Sea exercises were the
last joint exercises between the two countries.
Under these circumstances, Turkey’s opposition to the participation of
the Zionist regime in the Anatolian Eagle exercises, which resulted
in the withdrawal of other Western countries and the cancellation of
those exercises, has given rise to many questions in people’s minds.
The most important question is why at the present time Turkey has
opposed the participation of the Zionist regime in the Anatolian Eagle
exercises. An even more important question is whether a fundamental
change has taken place in Turkey’s relations with the Zionist regime.
Why were Anatolian Eagle exercises delayed?
Turkish officials have said that their opposition to the Zionist
regime’s participation in the Anatolian Eagle exercises has been a
sign of their protest to the continuation of the Zionist regime’s
operations in the Gaza Strip, as well as a sign of protest to that
regime’s disrespect to the Masjid al-Aqsa and the Zionist regime’s
attacks on those taking part in prayers at the Holy Quds [Jerusalem].
Although those issues have to some extent been influential in Turkey’s
decision to oppose the Zionist regime’s participation in the Anatolian
Eagle exercises, nevertheless, one has to ask why at the height of the
Zionist regime’s aggression against Gaza and the 22-day war, Turkey was
not prepared to cancel the permission to the Zionist regime’s fighters
to fly in the skies of Kunia. This was despite the fact that the people
of Kunia had repeatedly protested against that issue and, by gathering
outside the Kunia fighter base, had asked those practices to end.
At that time, apart from some minor protests, such as the cancellation
of only one of the scores of agreements with the Zionist regime,
Turkey did not take any more practical steps against the Zionist
regime. Therefore, experts believe that there have been other
considerations behind Turkey’s opposition to the Zionist regime’s
participation in the Anatolian Eagle exercises. One can evaluate
those reasons and motivations under three headings:
First, this decision by the Turkish government can be due to the
ever-intensifying wave of opposition among the public opinion in
Turkey to the Zionist regime. People’s hatred for the Zionist regime
has increased, especially after the 33-day war against Lebanon and
the 22-day war against Gaza. Reliable opinion polls show that more
than 80 per cent of the Turkish people are opposed to the Zionist
regime. In the past, any time that the Zionist regime had taken part
in the Anatolian Eagle exercises there had been extensive opposition
against the Turkish government in the Turkish media and popular
circles. On those occasions, Turkish media referred to the fighter
planes of the Zionist regime as murderous fighters.
Meanwhile, turning the Kunia province to a scene for training and for
air exercises of America and the Zionist regime and holding joint
exercises had resulted in breaking the sound barrier in the skies
of that province. In addition to doing a great deal of environmental
damage to the region, the exercises had also greatly inconvenienced
the people in Kunia province.
Under these circumstances, no matter what has been the motive behind
the decision of the Turkish government to oppose the Zionist regime’s
participation in the Anatolian Eagle exercises, it has been in keeping
with the wishes of the Turkish people. Such decisions will improve
the position of the Justice and Development Party in the forthcoming
election. This is why in an interview with al-Arabiyya Television
channel, the Turkish prime ministers insisted that the Turkish people
were opposed to the presence of Israeli fighters in their country,
and the government in Ankara had responded to public sensitivity to
that issue.
The second reason is that the issue of the Zionist regime’s
participation in the Anatolian Eagle exercises had been approved
despite the fact that during the past few months that regime had
repeatedly made military threats against Iran. Although those
threats have been nothing but boastful nonsense [rajaz khani],
and although the Zionist regime is far too weak to want to attack
Iran, nevertheless, the principle of good neighbourliness required a
neighbouring country to prevent the participation of a country in the
Anatolian Eagle exercises which made repeated military threats against
a neighbour. Turkey’s recent decision can also be analysed in that
context, especially as earlier on both Iran and Syria had expressed
their unhappiness about the military moves of the Zionist regime.
Turkey is willing to play a role in nuclear talks between Iran and the
Western countries, and in order to do this she needs to win Iran’s
trust. In this connection, in an interview with NTV channel, Umur
Celik, Rejeb Tayyip Erdogan’s political advisor, stressed: "Turkey
will not sacrifice her relations with her neighbours for the sake of
relations with Israel." He added: "At a time when Israel is talking of
confronting Iran, Turkey cannot allow Israel’s fighter planes to take
part in military exercises in Turkish territory." Umur Celik added:
"Not long ago, Israel’s fighter planes had attacked some installations
in the Syrian territory."
The third reason is the emergence of differences in the bilateral
relations between Turkey and the Zionist regime. These differences
have been intensified since the occupation of Iraq when it was
revealed that the Zionist regime had been inciting the Iraqi Kurds
to declare independence, as well as supporting the PKK. The Zionist
regime’s refusal to act according to its commitments, including
the agreement to sell ten Hermes drones to Turkey, have further
intensified those differences. According to some reports, that
agreement has been cancelled, and this might have been the reason
for the unprecedented Turkish military’s agreement with the decision
of the Turkish government to oppose the participation of the Zionist
regime in the Anatolian Eagle exercises.
The projects to update the military equipment of the Turkish armed
forces with the help of the Zionist regime, in addition to many
disgraceful financial practices and not observing the requirements
of issuing tenders, have given rise to a great deal of opposition
inside Turkey. The crash of a number of Turkish fighter planes that
had been updated by the Zionist regime due to technical faults has
added to those oppositions. Consequently, this could also be one
reason for Turkey’s opposition to the participation of the Zionist
regime in the Anatolian Eagle exercises.
In fact, some analysts believe that by predicting the continuation of
cold relations with the Zionist regime, Turkey is trying to replace
its relations with the Armenian lobby instead of its relations with
the Zionist lobby. This could also be one of the reasons for the
normalisation of Turkey’s relations with Armenia.
Will Ankara distance itself from Tel Aviv?
It seems that Turkey is following some very important goals in
demonstrating her anti-Zionist credentials. The first Turkish scenario
in distancing itself from the Zionist regime was Erdogan’s action
in the Davos Conference in January 2009 when he called Shimon Peres,
the president of the Zionist regime, a murderer.
By condemning the Zionist regime’s actions in Gaza and by a "show
of protest" at the roundtable in Davos in Switzerland, Turkey has
made the best propaganda use of that occasion. She has managed to
win the views of the public throughout the Islamic world, especially
due to the weakness of the Arab countries, without having experienced
any practical losses. So far, no agreements with the Zionist regime
have been cancelled, and apart from the symbolic cancellation of the
parliamentary friendship group with the Zionist regime, no limitations
have been imposed on that regime’s activities in Turkey.
After his show in Davos, in a speech in the General Assembly of
the United Nations, Erdogan complained about the international
community’s inaction towards the crimes of the Zionist regime in Gaza
and the disregard of Goldstone’s report. Now, Erdogan has also taken
the initiative by opposing the participation of the Zionist regime
in the Anatolian Eagle exercises. It is interesting that with the
cancellation of the Anatolian Eagle exercises, Turkish officials have
spoken about the first joint exercises between Turkey and Syria. Last
spring the first joint exercises between Turkish-Syrian ground forces
were held on the borders of the two countries. Those exercises
aroused the reaction of the Zionist regime, and the Turkish armed
forces responded that it had nothing to do with the regime in Tel Aviv.
It seems that Turkey intends to gain the reputation of acting as the
flag-bearer of opposition and confrontation of the Zionist regime,
which at the moment is a position held by Iran. However, the main
question is what goals is Turkey pursuing by wishing to become the
flag-bearer of opposition to the Zionist regime. Is it possible that
after playing that role, Turkey intends to move the public opinion
in the Islamic world and in Syria towards compromise with the Zionist
regime?
It is in view of these considerations that one cannot emphatically
state that Turkey is looking for a fundamental change in its relations
with the Zionist regime and joining a front against that regime.
During the past two or three years, due to being disappointed by
the European Union and by the West, as well as the consequences of
regional developments, such as the occupation of Iraq and the need
for regional solidarity, Turkey has moved closer to the Middle East,
Russia, the Caucuses and Central Asia. Nevertheless, it is too early
to say that those moves mean that there has been a strategic change
in Turkey’s relations with the West and with the Zionist regime.