“The conflict in Ukraine is a broader one between NATO led by the United States and Eurasia led by Russia. In deciding whose side to take, Turkey should focus on its own national interests – and remember all the NATO coups against it” said United World International expert Yunus Soner in a recent interview to RT International.
The interview has been recorded last Sunday. Below we present the interview as aired by RT International. Subheadings were set by UWI.
Yunus Soner, Political Scientist and former Deputy Chairman of Vatan Party (Turkey), welcome to RT International.
Good afternoon, hello.
Now the UK PM Boris Johnson said earlier that the conflict in Ukraine is not NATO’s fight. How accurate to believe that statement to be, especially given that many NATO countries have pumped hundreds of millions of dollars of military aid into Ukraine.
I think we can interpret this message of Johnson as a small acknowledgement of defeat that he was not able to pull the European allies back behind this position to further escalate into Ukraine and do not forget; there is a serious fractions within the European countries and between European countries and Britain in that matter as well.
Just remember the conflicts that led to the fact of Brexit and just remember for instance France currently heading towards presidential elections. All French presidential candidates, to different degrees, announced a distancing from NATO. So I think Johnson’s statement is an acknowledgement that there is no consensus in the western camp towards further escalating the conflict.
Turkey should focus on its own national interests – and remember NATO coups against itself
While talking of consensus, Turkey finds itself in an unusual position at the moment, being a NATO member but also it has very close ties with Russia. Can you tell me more about that please?
Well, I think Turkey needs here to focus on its own national security interests that means focusing on the fact that we have lived here in Turkey through three different coup d’états organized by the United States and its NATO allies in 1971, in 1980 and lastly in 2016. Turkey faces the NATO supported ethnic separatist organization PKK in the north of Syria. Turkey faces NATO exercises along its shores in the eastern Mediterranean. So I think Turkey is forced to acknowledge that further expansion of NATO towards the east of Europe is also not only encircling Russia but it’s also measure of circling Turkey. And I think this thought is slowly but surely gaining ground in Turkish politics as well.
We have observed that recently coalition partner if you will of the governing AKP, the party of National action’s chairman stated that, though rejecting the Russian invasion in Ukraine, they also rejected the expansion of NATO towards eastern Europe. I think this is the point where Turkey should focus on. İt is a contradictory situation for us being a NATO member but being a NATO member we have been threatened by NATO for the last 50 years including NATO allies supporting terror organizations inside Turkey and along Turkey’s borders so slowly but surely I think this observation will gain ground in Turkish politics and it should so.
Now president Putin and the Turkish leader Erdoğan had a phone call earlier about the situation in Ukraine. How much common ground you think the leaders share in terms of resolving the conflict and what role you think the Turkish leader can play in that.
I think Turkish government can play a very positive role, if its focuses on its own, as I mentioned, national security interests. This is not a conflict between Ukraine and Russia. This is a conflict between NATO expanding toward what I would call Eurasian countries. Currently it’s Russia but tomorrow it will be Turkey and it has been yesterday actually Turkey as well.
Conflict between NATO led by the US and Eurasia led by Russia
As I mentioned, we had a coup d’état here in 2016 supported by NATO forces inside turkey as well. So if the Turkish government focuses on that broader scope and if it acknowledges that the conflict in Ukraine is a conflict between NATO led by the United States and the Eurasian side currently led by Russia but with China and India and several Latin American countries behind it then it will play a positive role not in only pushing back NATO but also in really achieving or contributing to regional and global peace. I think that is the path to follow. And this scope needs to go beyond small and short-term economic interests as well. This is very important.
Well talking about economic interests and sanctions and the whole policies of the situation the Kremlin said that the Turkish leader criticize the discrimination Russians are now facing in the west as we heard MasterCard and visa have withdrawn and now many Russians will struggle to access their cash. They’re also facing discrimination because of the Ukrainian conflict. How serious a problem do you think this is?
I think this is a really serious problem. Let us listen to what President Biden recently said in his State of the Union speech where he, I quote, said that the free world has been shaken. Well the free world in that context means the world free to join NATO and to accept US dominance within the alliance.
The US is trying hard to organize the unipolar world
So he is defending actually Ukrainian government’s freedom to submit itself to NATO control and dominance. So this is a serious conflict and we are facing concerning the sanctions the US claim of the so-called unipolar world. They are trying hard to organize this unipolar world. They are trying hart to organize it in security, in energy. They are intervening into global energy markets, they are trying to force everyone to sell strategic reserves of oil for instance and they are trying to keep up the system going under their dominance and guidance.
We can simply measure their success by taking a look at the oil price or the gas price. They fail in that. So this is a reflection that sanctions are failing as well. And I think this is a profound conflict and it goes well beyond Ukraine. It is very important to acknowledge that this conflict is about US global dominance and it is very contested right now currently in Ukraine but in other parts of the world as well.
Yunus Soner political Scientist and former Deputy Chairman of the Turkish Vatan Party, thank you very much for sharing your opinions on the Ukraine conflict at the moment. Thank you.