Europe counts on Ankara
But EU's door still closed to Türkiye

ANALYTICS  25 August 2022 - 12:59

The Russian-Ukrainian war, besides reorienting the world order, brought to the international arena strong regional players capable of constructing a new geopolitical agenda, which envisages the resolution of serious conflicts through political diplomacy. Judging by the current balance of power in global politics, it is Türkiye that has taken on the mission of mediation and as a key country in the Turkic world is making efforts to defuse tensions regionally and globally.

It is quite curious that amid the serious confrontation between Russia and the West, even fastidious Europe counts on the success of Turkish diplomacy, particularly in resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The same Europe that for years has been unambiguously opposing Türkiye's accession to the EU, while flatly ignoring Ankara's desire to become a member. However, the recent statements of Josep Borrel, the European Union's Foreign Minister, that he made during a phone conversation with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (which he later confirmed on his Twitter page) clearly demonstrates that the Old World openly acknowledges Ankara's political weight and its significant role in the system of international relations. According to Borrell, Türkiye could use its influence on Russia to end the war with Ukraine, which means that Europe hopes for Ankara's political assistance in resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict and ending the confrontation between the West and Russia.

In principle, the European bet on Türkiye's multi-vector policy is the right move, anchored by a number of arguments, which were voiced, among others, by the head of European diplomacy himself. Firstly, he praised Türkiye's efforts in securing the UN deal on the export of Ukrainian grain, and this is the right emphasis placed by Borrell, especially against the background of a possible global food crisis. By solving this difficult task, Türkiye reduced financial and economic risks as much as possible, and this nuance is well understood in Europe, which itself suffered because of its sanctions against Russia.

Secondly, Türkiye was one of the first countries to declare the possibility of its mediation mission in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and has repeatedly offered them a bridgehead on its territory for bilateral negotiations. Therefore, Ankara's positions coincide with Europe's current interests when it comes to resolving the Russia-Ukraine crisis through negotiations.

However, while for Türkiye the search for diplomatic solutions is part of state policy, for Europe exactly the same approaches are applied based on its personal interests. Today, when Europe is actually in an energy stalemate and under the threat of a global food crisis, prolonging the war in Ukraine is not good for the Old World. The fact that Europe seriously counts on Türkiye's mediation assistance and on President Erdogan's personal contacts and flexible policy adds another bonus to Ankara's diplomatic piggy bank and influences Europe's recognition of Türkiye's political consistency. However, self-assertion in world politics is only one of the priorities of Türkiye's state policy; on the whole, its strategic line, based primarily on national interests, is aimed at maintaining stability and security in the region and the world. President Erdogan not only voices this position of the Turkish state at various international levels but also proves it to the entire world community with concrete steps, based on the norms and principles of international law.

According to Haber Global, the Turkish leader recently spoke to journalists and confirmed Ankara's plans to arrange a meeting between Presidents Putin and Zelenskyy in Istanbul in the near future. He also spoke about this during a trilateral meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and UN Secretary-General António Guterres in Lviv last week. Whether the conflicting sides will be able to come to an agreement to sit down at the negotiating table is a big question, since none of them is ready to make concessions to each other. But the fact that Türkiye has been able to establish itself as a flexible mediator in the indispensable issues of regional politics is obvious and speaks volumes about its increased prestige across the European continent.

Meanwhile, in big politics, the countries that are able to defend their positions that win everyone's recognition, and this fact is clearly seen in the example of Türkiye as well. In particular, Ankara did not join the anti-Russian sanctions, actually defying the West and the United States, but continues to support Ukraine, recognizing its territorial integrity and inviolability of state borders. At the same time, Türkiye is actively pursuing a policy of rapprochement with regional countries, such as Iran, although it has long had, to put it mildly, difficult relations with it. At the same time, Ankara is making decisive steps towards the final establishment of diplomatic relations with Israel, which has hostile relations with Iran. Nevertheless, thanks to its ability to maintain a balance between the West and the East, Türkiye manages to simultaneously establish relations with the conflicting countries, guided by its own interests and not to be led by any of the countries. Türkiye is determined to help settle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as President Erdogan said the day before at a press conference with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in Ankara and assured him of support at all international levels.

"Türkiye was the first country to support Palestine's declaration of statehood. We continue to support it and will do so on all international platforms," Erdogan said.

In this regard, President Erdogan believes that amid the Ankara-Tel Aviv rapprochement, the settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict with Türkiye's assistance does not prevent it from recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine. On this issue, Ankara relies on the basis of the UN parameters within the 1967 borders. Türkiye's key position is that the creation of an independent Palestinian state is necessary first and foremost for the stability of the entire world region. This is a fundamental principle of Türkiye's state policy, including the confirmation that the principal guidelines of the country's foreign policy remain unchanged despite the contradictions in relations with regional countries.

Türkiye pursues a similar policy in its relations with the world's leading powers, in particular, the US and NATO countries. Türkiye's position on NATO membership for Finland and Sweden is nothing short of a challenge to the United States. The fact that the North Atlantic Alliance takes Ankara's opinion into account and does not ignore its conditions is an important argument in favor of Türkiye's significance as a solid member of the Western military bloc and a leading regional power.

All these factors confirm the independent course of the Turkish state. In view of Russia's protracted war with Ukraine, which threatens not only the security of some countries of the former Soviet Union but also puts at risk the energy security of Europe as a whole, the recent appeals of European diplomatic chief Borrell to Türkiye for assistance in resolving the Russia-Ukraine crisis are quite justified and have a rational logic. There is only one question: if Türkiye is an indispensable mediator for Europe, able to settle global problems, including the interests of the Old World, then why is it not yet in the European Union? The question is rhetorical...

Caliber.Az