Turkey News, discussions, India Turkey Relations
Re: Turkey News, discussions, India Turkey Relations
oh well you learn something new everyday .."stomach cold?"
Re: Turkey News, discussions, India Turkey Relations
turkey election; Kilicdaroglu of opposition (left) holds slight advantage over Erdogan
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/arti ... aign=cppst
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/arti ... aign=cppst
Re: Turkey News, discussions, India Turkey Relations
I'm curious to see Turkey's take on the arrest of Imran Khan by the Army, since as we know, Erdogan had to face down an attempted coup from the army in his country. Which instinct prevails among the Erdogan establishment? Support Pak Army, or support the populist who is being hounded by the army?
Re: Turkey News, discussions, India Turkey Relations
^ The coup-wary Sultan has had a dependency on the rental pak fauj (especially PAF pilots) to fly his aircraft. He also wouldn't like competition to his title (self alloted) as the 'popular' leader of the ummah & caliphate.
If he loses the upcoming elections then it will likely be a different game entirely.
If he loses the upcoming elections then it will likely be a different game entirely.
Re: Turkey News, discussions, India Turkey Relations
But what happened to all that bonhomie among the confident new Muslim bigboy leaders?Manish_P wrote:^ The coup-wary Sultan has had a dependency on the rental pak fauj (especially PAF pilots) to fly his aircraft. He also wouldn't like competition to his title (self alloted) as the 'popular' leader of the ummah & caliphate.
If he loses the upcoming elections then it will likely be a different game entirely.
All gone up in smoke? Was it always just vapour?
Re: Turkey News, discussions, India Turkey Relations
Sanman ji, i am sure you are aware of Mughal history when it comes to the Takht (throne) - bhai vs bhai, bhai vs baap ...sanman wrote:...
But what happened to all that bonhomie among the confident new Muslim bigboy leaders?
...
All gone up in smoke? Was it always just vapour?
Re: Turkey News, discussions, India Turkey Relations
So who is Erdogan going to take up with now? Or will he be saved the trouble, by losing his own seat?Manish_P wrote:Sanman ji, i am sure you are aware of Mughal history when it comes to the Takht (throne) - bhai vs bhai, bhai vs baap ...
Re: Turkey News, discussions, India Turkey Relations
https://thewire.in/diplomacy/turkey-elections-india
What Turkey's Pivotal Elections Mean for India
India’s former ambassador to Turkey Sanjay Panda unpacks the significance of the elections and whether any change in Ankara could herald a new direction in India-Turkey relations.
Devirupa Mitra, 14/05/2023
New Delhi: When Turkey’s 64 million voters cast their votes on Sunday for the presidential and parliamentary elections, it will be the first time in two decades that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be facing a formidable challenge.
There is a lot of international interest to find out whether the joint opposition candidate, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, will be able to convert the lead in opinion polls by harnessing this moment of rare opposition unity and deep economic distress.
While President Erdogan’s aggressive foreign policy had raised Turkey’s profile abroad, it had also led to sharp differences between NATO and Western allies in finding a resolution to international conflicts.
Erdogan’s desire to take over as leader of the Muslim world had also led to resentment in the region. With the opposition promising a return to a parliamentary system and strong ties with the West, the elections have acquired urgent geopolitical significance.
Speaking with The Wire, India’s former ambassador to Turkey from 2020 to 2022, Sanjay Panda, unpacks the significance of the elections and whether any change in Ankara could herald a new direction in India-Turkey relations.
Panda was posted to Istanbul after Turkey’s relationship with India had gone downhill due to President Erdogan’s criticism of the removal of Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional status. Since Independence, India’s relationship with Turkey had been stunted due to Ankara’s position on Kashmir, which is aligned with Pakistan’s.
According to the former Indian envoy, the opposition will be healing some of the trust issues with the West, but it would not give up on its core issues in the eastern Mediterranean. Similarly, he does not expect a dramatic shift in post-Erdogan Turkey’s relations with India, but more of a continuity in Ankara’s ongoing calibrated outreach to New Delhi that began last year.
Below are excerpts from the interview, which have been edited and condensed.
Why does this election feel so significant?
This is the most critical election that Turkey has ever faced.
Turkey has been an enigma, especially in the last five to six years when it has chosen to embark on a path that has progressively alienated it internationally.
There are many diplomats, academics, think tanks and Turkey watchers who are all intrigued by this and scratching their heads trying to figure out the rationale for this strategic miscalculation, which neither serves its national interest nor helps resurrect its global image.
By default, Turkey’s geostrategic location makes it an important player, not only for the region but globally as well.
However, due to its aggressive regional posturing, going against its allies, even as a NATO member, it is viewed internationally as a ‘bad boy’ in the block. But then you cannot ignore this ‘bad boy’.
What has been the secret of Erdogan’s political longevity?
There are two phases of Erdogan’s rule – from 2000 to 2016 and from 2016 to the present. In the first phase, he followed a policy that projected Turkey’s interests and did not alienate Kemalist secularists. However, he gradually moved in a direction that appealed to the conservatives.
Initially, he only tried to arrest those societal changes that were caused by a Westernised society, but he did not obstruct them completely. The way of life in Turkey did not change significantly.
After 2016, there was a significant transformation under President Erdogan in the aftermath of the failed coup attempt. When the parliamentary system was replaced with an executive presidential system in 2018, the power dynamics of the country also got overhauled. Today, power is centralised in the presidency. And if you ask me, all the organs of the government have been made fairly redundant.
.....
Gautam
What Turkey's Pivotal Elections Mean for India
India’s former ambassador to Turkey Sanjay Panda unpacks the significance of the elections and whether any change in Ankara could herald a new direction in India-Turkey relations.
Devirupa Mitra, 14/05/2023
New Delhi: When Turkey’s 64 million voters cast their votes on Sunday for the presidential and parliamentary elections, it will be the first time in two decades that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be facing a formidable challenge.
There is a lot of international interest to find out whether the joint opposition candidate, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, will be able to convert the lead in opinion polls by harnessing this moment of rare opposition unity and deep economic distress.
While President Erdogan’s aggressive foreign policy had raised Turkey’s profile abroad, it had also led to sharp differences between NATO and Western allies in finding a resolution to international conflicts.
Erdogan’s desire to take over as leader of the Muslim world had also led to resentment in the region. With the opposition promising a return to a parliamentary system and strong ties with the West, the elections have acquired urgent geopolitical significance.
Speaking with The Wire, India’s former ambassador to Turkey from 2020 to 2022, Sanjay Panda, unpacks the significance of the elections and whether any change in Ankara could herald a new direction in India-Turkey relations.
Panda was posted to Istanbul after Turkey’s relationship with India had gone downhill due to President Erdogan’s criticism of the removal of Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional status. Since Independence, India’s relationship with Turkey had been stunted due to Ankara’s position on Kashmir, which is aligned with Pakistan’s.
According to the former Indian envoy, the opposition will be healing some of the trust issues with the West, but it would not give up on its core issues in the eastern Mediterranean. Similarly, he does not expect a dramatic shift in post-Erdogan Turkey’s relations with India, but more of a continuity in Ankara’s ongoing calibrated outreach to New Delhi that began last year.
Below are excerpts from the interview, which have been edited and condensed.
Why does this election feel so significant?
This is the most critical election that Turkey has ever faced.
Turkey has been an enigma, especially in the last five to six years when it has chosen to embark on a path that has progressively alienated it internationally.
There are many diplomats, academics, think tanks and Turkey watchers who are all intrigued by this and scratching their heads trying to figure out the rationale for this strategic miscalculation, which neither serves its national interest nor helps resurrect its global image.
By default, Turkey’s geostrategic location makes it an important player, not only for the region but globally as well.
However, due to its aggressive regional posturing, going against its allies, even as a NATO member, it is viewed internationally as a ‘bad boy’ in the block. But then you cannot ignore this ‘bad boy’.
What has been the secret of Erdogan’s political longevity?
There are two phases of Erdogan’s rule – from 2000 to 2016 and from 2016 to the present. In the first phase, he followed a policy that projected Turkey’s interests and did not alienate Kemalist secularists. However, he gradually moved in a direction that appealed to the conservatives.
Initially, he only tried to arrest those societal changes that were caused by a Westernised society, but he did not obstruct them completely. The way of life in Turkey did not change significantly.
After 2016, there was a significant transformation under President Erdogan in the aftermath of the failed coup attempt. When the parliamentary system was replaced with an executive presidential system in 2018, the power dynamics of the country also got overhauled. Today, power is centralised in the presidency. And if you ask me, all the organs of the government have been made fairly redundant.
.....
Gautam
Re: Turkey News, discussions, India Turkey Relations
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-ea ... 023-05-13/
Turkey faces runoff election with Erdogan leading
Orhan Coskun, Ece Toksabay and Ali Kucukgocmen, May 14, 2023
ISTANBUL, May 14 (Reuters) - Turkey headed for a runoff presidential vote after President Tayyip Erdogan outperformed projections in Sunday's election as he sought to extend his two-decade rule, holding a sizable lead over his rival but falling short of an outright majority.
Neither Erdogan nor rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu cleared the 50% threshold needed to avoid a second round, to be held on May 28, in an election seen as a verdict on Erdogan's increasingly authoritarian path.
The presidential vote will decide not only who leads Turkey, a NATO-member country of 85 million, but also whether it reverts to a more secular, democratic path; how it will handle its severe cost of living crisis and manage key relations with Russia, the Middle East and the West.
Kilicdaroglu, who said he would prevail in the runoff, urged his supporters to be patient and accused Erdogan's party of interfering with the counting and reporting of results.
But Erdogan performed better than pre-election polls had predicted, and he appeared in a confident and combative mood as he addressed his flag-waving, cheering supporters.
"We are already ahead of our closest rival by 2.6 million votes. We expect this figure to increase with official results," Erdogan said.
......
Gautam
Turkey faces runoff election with Erdogan leading
Orhan Coskun, Ece Toksabay and Ali Kucukgocmen, May 14, 2023
ISTANBUL, May 14 (Reuters) - Turkey headed for a runoff presidential vote after President Tayyip Erdogan outperformed projections in Sunday's election as he sought to extend his two-decade rule, holding a sizable lead over his rival but falling short of an outright majority.
Neither Erdogan nor rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu cleared the 50% threshold needed to avoid a second round, to be held on May 28, in an election seen as a verdict on Erdogan's increasingly authoritarian path.
The presidential vote will decide not only who leads Turkey, a NATO-member country of 85 million, but also whether it reverts to a more secular, democratic path; how it will handle its severe cost of living crisis and manage key relations with Russia, the Middle East and the West.
Kilicdaroglu, who said he would prevail in the runoff, urged his supporters to be patient and accused Erdogan's party of interfering with the counting and reporting of results.
But Erdogan performed better than pre-election polls had predicted, and he appeared in a confident and combative mood as he addressed his flag-waving, cheering supporters.
"We are already ahead of our closest rival by 2.6 million votes. We expect this figure to increase with official results," Erdogan said.
......
Gautam
Re: Turkey News, discussions, India Turkey Relations
Turkey’s lira sinks to near record low as Erdogan is reelected
The Turkish lira sank Monday as incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdogan secured his victory in the 2023 presidential election, extending his rule into a third decade in power.The currency was trading at 19.97 against the greenback as of Monday 4 a.m. London time after slipping to 20 to the dollar earlier in the session.
“We have a pretty pessimistic outlook on the Turkish Lira as a result of Erdogan retaining office after the election,” Wells Fargo’s Emerging Markets Economist and FX Strategist Brendan McKenna told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia.”
Re: Turkey News, discussions, India Turkey Relations
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/29/turkeys ... ected.html
CURRENCIES:Turkey’s lira sinks to near record low as Erdogan is reelected
Lee Ying Shan, MAY 28 2023
The Turkish lira sank Monday as incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdogan secured his victory in the 2023 presidential election, extending his rule into a third decade in power.
The currency was trading at 20.44 against the greenback as of 10 a.m. Monday morning local time, after hitting a fresh record low last week.
“We have a pretty pessimistic outlook on the Turkish Lira as a result of Erdogan retaining office after the election,” Wells Fargo’s Emerging Markets Economist and FX Strategist Brendan McKenna told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia.”
McKenna forecasts that the lira will reach a new record low of 23 against the dollar by end of the second quarter, and then 25 as early as next year. It has lost some 77% of its value against the dollar over the last five years. He expects Turkey’s unorthodox monetary and economic policy frameworks to remain in place going forward.
......
Gautam
Also see: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65743031, Turkish election victory for Erdogan leaves nation divided
CURRENCIES:Turkey’s lira sinks to near record low as Erdogan is reelected
Lee Ying Shan, MAY 28 2023
The Turkish lira sank Monday as incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdogan secured his victory in the 2023 presidential election, extending his rule into a third decade in power.
The currency was trading at 20.44 against the greenback as of 10 a.m. Monday morning local time, after hitting a fresh record low last week.
“We have a pretty pessimistic outlook on the Turkish Lira as a result of Erdogan retaining office after the election,” Wells Fargo’s Emerging Markets Economist and FX Strategist Brendan McKenna told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia.”
McKenna forecasts that the lira will reach a new record low of 23 against the dollar by end of the second quarter, and then 25 as early as next year. It has lost some 77% of its value against the dollar over the last five years. He expects Turkey’s unorthodox monetary and economic policy frameworks to remain in place going forward.
......
Gautam
Also see: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65743031, Turkish election victory for Erdogan leaves nation divided
Re: Turkey News, discussions, India Turkey Relations
So Turks must love inflation, since they've just voted for more Erdo-nomics
Re: Turkey News, discussions, India Turkey Relations
https://www.wionews.com/world/turkey-ne ... lan-636855
Turkey drums up support for alternative to India-Middle East trade corridor
Ankara, Turkey, Prisha, Sep 17, 2023
Turkey has been in “intensive negotiations” to find its alternative to the India-Middle East trade corridor plan which was finalised at the G20 summit this month, as the country aims to bolster its historic role in the transport route for goods sent from Asia to Europe.
Turkey has not supported the proposed India-Middle East route which would transport goods from the subcontinent to European markets, passing through the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel.
The trade corridor, which has been supported by the US and EU as they try to counter the growing influence of China, will be completely bypassing Turkey.
No corridor without Turkey: Erdogan
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after the G20 Summit that “there can be no corridor without Turkey”, adding that “the most appropriate route for trade from east to west must pass through Turkey”.
Since then, the country's foreign minister Hakan Fidan has doubled down on the scepticism, stating this week that “experts had doubts that the primary goal [of the India-Middle East corridor] was rationality and efficiency” and suggesting “more geostrategic concerns” were at play.
“A trade route does not only mean meeting trade alone. It’s also a reflection of geostrategic competition,” said Fidan, while responding to a question from the Financial Times.
Turkey has now proposed an alternative route called the Iraq Development Road initiative, as Fidan insisted that “intensive negotiations” are underway with Qatar, the UAE and Iraq about a project which would be forged “within the next few months”.
.....
Gautam
Turkey drums up support for alternative to India-Middle East trade corridor
Ankara, Turkey, Prisha, Sep 17, 2023
Turkey has been in “intensive negotiations” to find its alternative to the India-Middle East trade corridor plan which was finalised at the G20 summit this month, as the country aims to bolster its historic role in the transport route for goods sent from Asia to Europe.
Turkey has not supported the proposed India-Middle East route which would transport goods from the subcontinent to European markets, passing through the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel.
The trade corridor, which has been supported by the US and EU as they try to counter the growing influence of China, will be completely bypassing Turkey.
No corridor without Turkey: Erdogan
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after the G20 Summit that “there can be no corridor without Turkey”, adding that “the most appropriate route for trade from east to west must pass through Turkey”.
Since then, the country's foreign minister Hakan Fidan has doubled down on the scepticism, stating this week that “experts had doubts that the primary goal [of the India-Middle East corridor] was rationality and efficiency” and suggesting “more geostrategic concerns” were at play.
“A trade route does not only mean meeting trade alone. It’s also a reflection of geostrategic competition,” said Fidan, while responding to a question from the Financial Times.
Turkey has now proposed an alternative route called the Iraq Development Road initiative, as Fidan insisted that “intensive negotiations” are underway with Qatar, the UAE and Iraq about a project which would be forged “within the next few months”.
.....
Gautam
Re: Turkey News, discussions, India Turkey Relations
Erdo-gand again raised the Kashmir topic at UNGA. Dog tail cant be straightened.
Re: Turkey News, discussions, India Turkey Relations
Cyrano ji,
the butt hurt is the new, (post G20), IMEC economic corridor and turki being left out in the cold with no invitation to join this project
greece has offered more greek ports to India, apart from entry into its main Piraeus port, where the cheen are also stakeholders
So, there are two pissed off non friends of India who are licking their wounds
Re: Turkey News, discussions, India Turkey Relations
https://www.railway-technology.com/news ... n/?cf-view
Turkey moves against Europe with trade corridor alternative to IPEC
President Erdogan says Ankara may “part ways with the EU” as G20-supported shipping and rail corridor proposes to bypass Turkey.
Alex Blair, September 20, 2023
Turkish President Erdogan has announced plans for an alternative trade corridor to the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC) agreed by the US and EU at the G20 summit in New Delhi earlier this month.
According to the US and the EU, IMEC will connect Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Jordan and Israel by rail, entirely bypassing Turkey as it leads on to Europe and India by ship.
Analysts say it is a counterbalance to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Ankara, however, views IMEC as a threat to Turkey’s historically central role in transporting goods between Europe and Asia.
Erdogan said that “there can be no corridor without Turkey”, threatening to “part ways with the EU”.
A significant chunk of Erdogan’s alternative corridor relies on co-opting Iraq’s Development Road project. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan insisted that “intensive negotiations” were underway with Iraq, the UAE and Qatar for a transport route into Turkey from the Great Faw Port in the oil-rich Basra province in southern Iraq.
Turkish-Iraqi construction begins
Construction of the $17bn Development Road is already underway in Basra.
Designed by Italian company Progetti Europa & Global, the project will construct railway and road lines extending from Grand Faw Port through the cities of Diwaniyah, Najaf, Karbala, Baghdad and Mosul before traversing over the Turkish border via Silopi and on to Europe. It is also predicted to provide Iraq with access to Mersin Port on Turkey’s Mediterranean coastline.
......
Gautam
Turkey moves against Europe with trade corridor alternative to IPEC
President Erdogan says Ankara may “part ways with the EU” as G20-supported shipping and rail corridor proposes to bypass Turkey.
Alex Blair, September 20, 2023
Turkish President Erdogan has announced plans for an alternative trade corridor to the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC) agreed by the US and EU at the G20 summit in New Delhi earlier this month.
According to the US and the EU, IMEC will connect Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Jordan and Israel by rail, entirely bypassing Turkey as it leads on to Europe and India by ship.
Analysts say it is a counterbalance to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Ankara, however, views IMEC as a threat to Turkey’s historically central role in transporting goods between Europe and Asia.
Erdogan said that “there can be no corridor without Turkey”, threatening to “part ways with the EU”.
A significant chunk of Erdogan’s alternative corridor relies on co-opting Iraq’s Development Road project. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan insisted that “intensive negotiations” were underway with Iraq, the UAE and Qatar for a transport route into Turkey from the Great Faw Port in the oil-rich Basra province in southern Iraq.
Turkish-Iraqi construction begins
Construction of the $17bn Development Road is already underway in Basra.
Designed by Italian company Progetti Europa & Global, the project will construct railway and road lines extending from Grand Faw Port through the cities of Diwaniyah, Najaf, Karbala, Baghdad and Mosul before traversing over the Turkish border via Silopi and on to Europe. It is also predicted to provide Iraq with access to Mersin Port on Turkey’s Mediterranean coastline.
......
Gautam
Re: Turkey News, discussions, India Turkey Relations
Okay, Turkey parts way with the EU.
How, will that effect the EU's trade situation?
How, will that effect the EU's trade situation?
Re: Turkey News, discussions, India Turkey Relations
https://asiatimes.com/2023/11/to-challe ... -brethren/
At last week’s OTS summit, in the Kazakh capital Astana, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said it’s the Turkic language family that bonds Turkey with Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Echoing calls for a common Turkic alphabet, the Turkish leader said language enabled the countries’ unity.
Although largely symbolic, the plea was a message to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to abandon Cyrillic, which forms the basis of the Russian script, in favor of the Latin alphabet, which was adopted by Turkey in 1928.
here's a video on the trukic people, might appear a bit foppish on the surface but a good trove of information in 15 minutes, 13 minute mark has direct reference to indiaDespite being allies, Turkey and Azerbaijan have diametrically opposed attitudes on the Israel-Gaza conflict. While Azerbaijan’s people openly support Israel – and Baku supplies Israel with 60% of its oil needs – Erdogan spews anti-Israel rhetoric.
Trade corridors are another point of contention. Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkey share an interest in a quick realization of the Middle Corridor project, a transportation route starting from Southeast Asia and China, running through Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, and on to Europe.
Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, meanwhile, have supported Russia’s plans to build the Southern Transport Corridor, which would in effect bypass Kazakhstan.
Re: Turkey News, discussions, India Turkey Relations
As long as India recoups whatever investment it makes in IMEC, I don't think having two or more viable trade routes between India and Europe is a bad thing. There will be no way to hold India hostage then to geopolitics.
Re: Turkey News, discussions, India Turkey Relations
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/ ... -past-feud
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan plans ‘win-win’ approach in Athens after past feud
Analysts believe better ties with Greece are key to repairing Turkey’s strained relationship with Europe
Helena Smith in Athens, 7 Dec 2023
Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, will be arriving in Athens on Thursday for the first time in six years, determined to move on with a “win-win approach” from the disputes and tensions left by his previous trip to the city.
The last time the Turkish leader visited the Greek capital – exactly six years ago to the day – what had been billed a historic tour descended into a verbal theatre of war as Erdoğan, dispensing with diplomatic niceties, went on the offensive.
Within an hour of stepping off the plane, he had: questioned the treaty delineating the borders between the two neighbours; raised the thorny question of war-split Cyprus; fulminated over the treatment of the Muslim minority in Thrace; and chastised the Greeks for their handling of Ottoman sites, a legacy of 400 years of Ottoman rule.
“We still haven’t forgotten it,” said one well-placed diplomat. “It was as if he was a boxer in the ring, throwing punches from beginning to end.”
From then on, bilateral ties only worsened, with the two Nato rivals nearly going to war over disputed undersea energy resources; Athens accusing its neighbour of “weaponising” migration and Ankara questioning the ownership of outlying Greek islands.
During Thursday’s visit – expected to last barely six hours – the famously unpredictable leader will put pugilism aside.
What he lacks in time, Erdoğan says, will be made up in friendship, with a charm offensive aimed not only at building bridges but sending a concerted message of peace at a time when the war in Gaza is stirring trouble in the eastern Mediterranean.
......
Gautam
Also:
https://www.dw.com/en/turkeys-erdogan-v ... a-67655942
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan plans ‘win-win’ approach in Athens after past feud
Analysts believe better ties with Greece are key to repairing Turkey’s strained relationship with Europe
Helena Smith in Athens, 7 Dec 2023
Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, will be arriving in Athens on Thursday for the first time in six years, determined to move on with a “win-win approach” from the disputes and tensions left by his previous trip to the city.
The last time the Turkish leader visited the Greek capital – exactly six years ago to the day – what had been billed a historic tour descended into a verbal theatre of war as Erdoğan, dispensing with diplomatic niceties, went on the offensive.
Within an hour of stepping off the plane, he had: questioned the treaty delineating the borders between the two neighbours; raised the thorny question of war-split Cyprus; fulminated over the treatment of the Muslim minority in Thrace; and chastised the Greeks for their handling of Ottoman sites, a legacy of 400 years of Ottoman rule.
“We still haven’t forgotten it,” said one well-placed diplomat. “It was as if he was a boxer in the ring, throwing punches from beginning to end.”
From then on, bilateral ties only worsened, with the two Nato rivals nearly going to war over disputed undersea energy resources; Athens accusing its neighbour of “weaponising” migration and Ankara questioning the ownership of outlying Greek islands.
During Thursday’s visit – expected to last barely six hours – the famously unpredictable leader will put pugilism aside.
What he lacks in time, Erdoğan says, will be made up in friendship, with a charm offensive aimed not only at building bridges but sending a concerted message of peace at a time when the war in Gaza is stirring trouble in the eastern Mediterranean.
......
Gautam
Also:
https://www.dw.com/en/turkeys-erdogan-v ... a-67655942
Re: Turkey News, discussions, India Turkey Relations
No one will believe him. He has lost all credibility.
Re: Turkey News, discussions, India Turkey Relations
Looks like Sultan Turdogan is history... In the local elections for the moment.
How correlated are they to the national elections?
How correlated are they to the national elections?