Last week, the public agenda in Turkey has been busy with two very important topics.
First was the proposal that came from Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalin, over the S-400 crisis and the statements over the unilateral suspension of Turkey from the Joint Strike Fighter program.
Second was the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu’s visit to Saudi Arabia, the decision to continue dialogue, and the reactions from Turkey on the Israeli attacks over Palestine.
Proposal for a Negotiation over the S-400 Crisis from the Presidential Spokesperson
Turkey has been making preparations for a meeting to be held between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of a NATO summit, Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin has said, noting that Ankara reiterates its proposal to negotiate on the problem of the F-35 program.
“Our president will have meetings with the US president and leaders of NATO countries at the NATO Summit, which will be held in Brussels. We have expectations from the US especially regarding the PYD and FETO,” Kalin told the reporters.
“These are issues that pose a direct threat to Turkey’s national security”, he said and emphasized that Ankara expects the Biden administration to take concrete steps on those.
“There are issues that block our bilateral relations, such as the CAATSA sanctions, the F-35 and the S-400s. We stated that the sanctions imposed on Turkey are unfair and unlawful,” he said, stressing that the sanctions against Turkey to provide the S400 air defense system are against the spirit of alliance.
“We are making preparations to cover all these issues for the meeting to be held at the NATO Summit,” he added.
Removing Turkey unilaterally from the F-35 program is against the agreement, he said, expressing that Ankara expects a step back from this decision.
The Turkish side suggests that its procurement of the Russian-made S-400 systems does not have “a dimension that will endanger NATO’s security system or the interests of third countries,” he said and added, “The arguments presented by the Americans have not convinced us.”
“We are renewing this offer. If we are two allies and strategic partners, we can resolve it through negotiation. If the conditions are suitable, we can buy Patriots alongside the S-400s. We expect that unfair decisions on S-400, CAATSA, and F-35 will be reversed,” Kalin stated.
Turkish Top Diplomat Dialogue with Saudi Counterpart and the Reactions from Turkey over the Israeli Attacks
The Turkish Foreign Minister arrived on Monday in Saudi Arabia to discuss bilateral relations and regional developments.
“In Saudi Arabia to discuss bilateral relations and important regional issues, especially the attacks at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the oppression against the Palestinian people,” Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Twitter.
One day later on Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Turkey and Saudi Arabia will maintain dialogue to address their disagreements, after discussing their bilateral relations and the Israeli aggression over Jerusalem and Gaza with his Saudi counterpart in Mecca.
Cavusoglu and Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met for talks aimed at overcoming a rift over the 2018 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul that led to bitter recriminations and a Saudi boycott of Turkish goods.
“I want to thank my brother Prince Faisal for his invitation and hospitality. We held a very open and frank meeting and addressed some problematic areas in our relationship,” Cavusoglu told in televised comments.
“We also discussed how to increase our cooperation in bilateral ties and in regional issues. We decided to continue our dialogue and I invited him to Turkey,” Cavusoglu said.
The two ministers also discussed the “aggression” of Israel, after the Arab League condemned deadly Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip and called on the international community to move urgently to stop escalating violence.
“With the Saudi foreign minister, we didn’t just discuss our bilateral ties, but we also discussed the steps we can take within the OIC, Arab League and beyond,” he said, using the acronym for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. “We also evaluated other regional issues.”
Turkish diplomatic actions against the rising aggression of Israel have also risen up in the UN Security Council.
Turkey’s United Nations Permanent Representative has criticized the global body for failing to come up with a statement on the Israeli-Palestine issue after the Security Council convened to discuss the problem.
“Failure to adopt even a press statement on an issue that has been on the council’s agenda since almost its inception is simply unacceptable,” said Feridun Sinirlioglu in a written statement sent to the UN Security Council meeting on the conflict.
Sinirlioglu strongly condemned Israel’s aggression, including airstrikes, against Palestinians and conveyed condolences to the Palestinian nation for the loss of lives, including infants and children.
“Since the start of the Israeli aggression, over 40 children have died in Gaza. If a classroom full of kids was blown up elsewhere, how many days would it have taken for this council to have a public meeting?” he asked, criticizing the late meeting that came 10 days after the start of the Israeli attacks.
“What can justify the council’s current inaction in the face of such human carnage broadcast live on TV?” Sinirlioglu said.
At an extraordinary meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Sunday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said it is time to show unity and determination on Palestine, and Turkey is ready to take any necessary step.
At the online video meeting to discuss Israel’s attacks on Palestine, Cavusoglu said that Israel also targeted members of the press and that half of those who lost their lives in Gaza were women and children.
Cavusoglu said that the international community has a duty to protect Palestinian civilians, and the OIC has a great responsibility in this context.
He also touched on the importance of international protection mechanisms for Palestinian civilians in line with a 2018 UN General Assembly resolution.
Stating that this mechanism can be established with the financial and military contributions of volunteer countries, Cavusoglu also stated that the Israeli political and military officials who have been found guilty of violating Palestinians’ rights should be held responsible.
He added that in this context, the International Criminal Court has a special role.
Stating that efforts to normalize ties with Israel have emboldened it, he added: “We should stand for justice and humanity. There should be no other considerations. This is time to show our unity and decisiveness. The Muslim community expects our leadership and courage, and Turkey is ready to take whatever action is necessary.”
Leader of Vatan Party, Dogu Perincek has put up a 3-step plan against the US-Israeli aggression, called for a united position between regional countries against the 3 lines of the aggression, and finally proposed to deport the US troops from Turkey by shutting down the Incirlik and Kurecik US military bases:
“Identifying the three objectives of the US-Israeli aggression is the main priority for establishing the right strategy and producing the right policies.
Their first objective is to prevent an independent State of Palestine in and around East Jerusalem, by occupying and raiding the Palestinian territories.
The second objective is persisting on the goal of establishing a Second Israel in West Asia under the name of ‘Kurdistan’.
The third objective is to form a military axis with the United States, Greece, and the South Cyprus, to eliminate the TRNC, and to partition the strategic resources of the Eastern Mediterranean.
Today, the Palestinian state and its people are fighting on behalf of all the West Asian countries and the entire humanity, against the US imperialism and Israeli Zionism.
As ret. Admiral Soner Polat (R.I.P.) said, Turkey is Israel’s ultimate target. Those young men and women who resist the Israeli occupation and persecution in Palestine, are in fact not only defending their own homeland but also Anatolia.
The West Asian countries and their allies can defeat the Israeli aggression on these three fronts, only with a Three-Step Plan:
First step: The establishment of an independent Palestinian State centered on East Jerusalem.
Second step: Prevention of the attempt by the United States and Israel to establish the Second State of Israel under the name of ‘Kurdistan’, mainly in Syria and Iraq today.
Third step: Disruption of the aggressive actions of the US-Israel-Greece-Southern Cyprus partnership in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The Turkish government must call for the West Asian nations to organize a conference for the implementation of the Three-Step Plan. This conference should not aim to achieve empty condemnations against the United States and Israel, but decide on an action plan for the political, economic, and military cooperation that will stop the aggression and provide decisive outcomes on all three fronts. The Turkish government must also come up with a solid action plan for this possible conference.
The Syrian Arab Republic is the sole country to face the US-Israeli aggression on all three fronts at the same time. In this case, Turkey has the initiative to take the first action and to cooperate with Syria, in this fight against US-Israeli aggression.
Turkey must first close the American bases in our country, get them under control of the Turkish Armed Forces, and deport all the US troops from these bases as soon as possible. Empty condemnations are not the appropriate answers to give in this situation. Civilians can only be protected by fighting.”