TR Foreign Policy & Geopolitics

[mehmed beg]

17 wages a year, , 10s of billions of bailouts, asking Germany for compensations, demanding that no single business or military deal with Turkiye to be done, claiming the waters almost to Morocco, demanding that the swimmers in Cunda ask the permits from them to have a dip, taking part in Srebrenica massacre, giving the sanctuary to PKK and Armenian terrorist. All of it is demand from those creatures. Oh yes , on top it those pseudo Orthodox Priests have never ending " Papal conspiracy" convulsions.
Never ending psychotic outbursts from Balkan Christians.

 

[AlperTunga]

I am of Turkish-Kurdish origin and am familiar with the nuances. There are three Kurdish branches

Kurmanci -> Sunni Kurds, the vast majority of Kurds in the heartland, most of whom are related or related by marriage to Turks (the largest group) in the central south-east of Turkey, some of whom are also represented in Iraq. Predominantly hostile and opposed to the PKK/YPG.

Zaza -> Alevi or Christian Kurds, predominantly in Iraq, Syria, Iran and the extreme south-east of Turkey, e.g. in Dersim, Bingöl, partly also in Hatay and Malatya, Batman & Co. Ambivalent towards the PKK/YPG, difficult to classify. Many of them are also of Armenian Christian descent.

Sorani -> mainly in Iraq and western Iran, no roots in Turkey, mostly Shiites, but also some Sunnis, very distant towards the PKK/YPG.

I'm not saying that all of this data is 100% accurate, but it's definitely heading in that direction.

You are saying basically most kurds in Türkiye are not supporting PKK. That's very optimistic. How do you explain then HDP (who is leaning its back to Kandil) getting around 6mio votes??

 

[IC3M@N FX]

You are saying basically most kurds in Türkiye are not supporting PKK. That's very optimistic. How do you explain then HDP (who is leaning its back to Kandil) getting around 6mio votes??

An estimated 13 to 15 million Kurds live in Turkey, and if 6 million of them vote for the HDP, as you say, that can hardly be all of them.

To my knowledge, in 2023, around 4.8 million people nationwide voted for the HDP.

Regardless of how one assesses or classifies the HDP politically, whether as good or evil, terrorist or not, people vote for this party for different reasons. In the past, I have personally experienced that many parties in Turkey are allergic to the topic of south-eastern Turkey when it comes to investment, infrastructure, jobs, education, etc.
The AKP is the only party that has really invested there; the other parties have literally stood still no investment here.
Now put yourself in these people's shoes: why on earth would they vote for someone who rejects them in terms of their future prospects? Then you have the answer. Personally, I consider the HDP to be the political arm of the PKK; it should be banned, but the result remains the same.

People will continue not to vote for the CHP & Co, and why should they? That would be just as illogical as for example Turks in Germany with German Passports voting for the AfD, which in turn wants to expel Turks, Kurds or whoever else from Germany.
Make no sense

 

[Iskander]

The trilateral alliance project is complete! Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia are nearing the end of their cooperation.

The push for an alliance that would combine Turkey's military might, Pakistan's nuclear potential, and Saudi Arabia's financial might has raised concerns in Greece, Israel, and India.
The planned defense alliance between Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia is beginning to take shape.

...It has been confirmed that a draft agreement has been prepared. Rumors of a trilateral alliance, touted by some anti-Turkish circles, such as Israel and Greece, as an "alternative to NATO," have received widespread coverage in the Western press. However, no official confirmation has been received from Ankara, Islamabad, or Riyadh.
...Pakistan Defense Minister Raza Hayat Hiraj also stated that negotiations between the three countries have been ongoing for a year and that a draft defense agreement has been prepared. In an interview with the Pakistani press, Hiraj emphasized that such an alliance is viewed as a precautionary measure in light of the events of the past two years.

Turkish media.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.yeniakit.com.tr/haber/islam-dunyasinda-tarihi-hamle-turkiye-pakistan-ve-suudi-arabistandan-dev-savunma-ittifaki-1977383.html&ved=2ahUKEwiZmISXw5SSAxU6XUEAHcUeHGIQFnoECEoQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3QE3k5mszjW_CKuT4pWkXJ

Some news reports and commentaries in the Israeli press have suggested that Türkiye's inclusion in the Saudi Arabia-Pakistan agreement would negatively impact the security dominance Israel aims to establish in the region.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.bbc.com/turkce/articles/cvgx44n4x3po&ved=2ahUKEwiZmISXw5SSAxU6XUEAHcUeHGIQFnoECB8QAQ&usg=AOvVaw1oBirGmjrWcOWplTqusUYC

 

[Iskander]

Shortly before the Karabakh war, a video of a conversation between the Estonian Prime Minister and the country's Foreign Minister surfaced online. The Foreign Minister, noting that Estonia and all countries officially recognize Armenian-occupied Karabakh as Azerbaijani territory, stated that Estonia and the European Union are taking an unfair position toward Azerbaijan. The Prime Minister responded: "That's true. Legally, of course, Azerbaijan is right – Karabakh was occupied by Armenia. But Azerbaijanis are Muslims, and Armenians are Christians. We, like the European Union, must defend the position of Christian Armenians."

Shortly after, the war began, and in just six weeks, our army routed the Armenian armed forces and liberated Karabakh from the invaders, as required by four UN resolutions.

Thank God, Estonia doesn't have an army...
But France does!
Furthermore, 700,000 Armenians live in France. 555 members of the French parliament, with the exception of one Arab woman, demanded that Azerbaijan immediately withdraw its troops from Karabakh—territories we just liberated from Armenian occupation.
Erdogan called Macron and said, "Stay away from Karabakh, mind your own business!"
Macron muttered something and calmed down...

Then the Estonian Prime Minister, realizing the situation, called Baku and apologized for the video!

Now poor Europe is under threat from Russia. The US has no intention of defending it. On the contrary, the US wants to recapture Greenland from Denmark, a NATO member.
The European Union, finding itself in a difficult situation, now pleads, "This is unfair! Don't break international rules! Don't turn the world into a jungle!"

We've been saying this for 25 years. But, alas, Europe has been deaf and dumb. Moreover, it defended the aggressor—Christian Armenia, an ally of Russia.

It wasn't us, but you—"civilized Europe"—who established international laws. You broke them yourselves. And here's the result!
Look at the world we live in now!

 

[IC3M@N FX]

You are right in principle, but the situation is not that simple. Europe is strategically positioned differently from traditional power states. With the loss of direct Russian oil and gas connections, the EU was forced to establish new and, above all, physically stable supply routes.
The recent agreement between the EU and Azerbaijan should also be viewed in this context. For this to work, a reliable connection via Azerbaijan – Turkey – Europe is needed. This axis is not a political preference, but a geographical and logistical necessity.
Russia's behaviour is also interesting in this context. Although Moscow is heavily tied up in the war in Ukraine, it could well have intervened in the recent Nagorno-Karabakh conflict – at least to prolong or freeze the conflict. However, this did not happen. The reason is obvious: Russia continues to sell oil and gas to Azerbaijan at low prices, which then reaches Europe as "mixed" energy. In this way, Russia continues to benefit indirectly from the European market without openly acting as a supplier.
There is another factor that is often underestimated: many international players have a strong interest in seeing the new Silk Road run from Asia to Europe via Azerbaijan and Turkey. The aim is not to replace maritime trade, but to secure it. A functional land corridor strategically devalues sea routes that are potentially threatened by terrorist organisations or regional instability (Iran).
This creates two resilient options for the transport of goods – sea and land routes – which reduces risks, stabilises supply chains and reduces Europe's vulnerability.

That is why everyone kept quiet; it was a win-win situation for everyone except Iran and Armenia.

But....
This also explains the tensions between Turkey and Greece and Israel: it is not purely an ideological or political escalation, but rather an infrastructure conflict. Israel is deliberately seeking a gas route via Cyprus -> Greece in order to bypass Turkey.
For Turkey, this is an attack on its role as an indispensable energy hub (Gatekeeper) – and that is precisely why there is a new conflict between Greece, Turkey and Israel. Greece therefore wants to expand its sea routes, with the support of Israel and Europe.