Turkey’s willingness to re-start the accession talks with the EU, the improvement of relations with Israel, the efforts to break the ice first with the UAE and then with Saudi Arabia, and a moderated approach to the Russia-Ukraine issue show us that our country is entering a normalisation process in foreign policy.
Relations with the EU rapidly deteriorated when the West was indifferent or was late in giving any response to the heinous crime committed against the Republic of Turkey on 15 July 2016. However, the EU Leaders who served in those days are not in office today. The United States, on the other hand, has had two presidents since that failed coup attempt. I know some of you will say, “Policies of the West do not change according to the leaders”. But this time, that is not the case.
Numerous archival research and analyses reveal that the politics of countries, whether Western or Eastern, develop depending on the attitudes of the leaders and their communication with each other. Sometimes leaders can even develop different approaches to the same issue during their own term of office. There are many examples of this in recent history. Turkey too has seen and is still seeing such examples.
“There Is No Such Thing as Eternal Enemy!..”
The 1000-year history of the lands we live in shows us that there is no such thing as eternal enemy. There are only threats and opportunities. Examples include the Crusades and other great wars in history. Therefore, we should listen well to Atatürk’s warnings. “Do not provoke the Russians, do not interfere in the affairs of the Arabs, stay close to the West, but do not get caught in their imperialist ambitions”. If Turkey can achieve this balance, I think it will help improve its economic parameters.
I believe Turkey enjoyed the fruit of this approach at the extraordinary Summit of NATO Heads of State and Government. The accession negotiations were halted in the first place not only because of mistakes made by Turkey but also by the EU side.
Speaking of NATO, the attitude of the North Atlantic Pact, which seemed to be hesitant in the early days of the crisis, towards Russia became clearer at the summit. NATO Heads of State and Government underlined that they would continue to provide further political and practical support and assistance in such areas as cybersecurity and protection against threats of a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear nature to Ukraine as it continues to defend itself. From this point of view, Turkey’s mediator position stands out among NATO allies. The West, on the other hand, will apparently pursue the matter until Putin steps down.
