On spineless diplomacy, U-turns, and prestige

The expected happened!

Erdoğan met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, despite having repeatedly called him a "coup plotter," "murderer," "tyrant," "pharaoh," "despot," and saying he would "never meet" with him—a figure he even used as political fodder for the 2019 local elections.

He didn't just meet with him; he showered him with praise, saying, "Sisi's efforts for Gaza are commendable."

Yet, in a television program he previously attended, he had said, "I would never meet with such a person. First and foremost, he must release all these people inside with a general amnesty. As long as he does not release them, we cannot sit down and meet with Sisi. Those who do will be judged differently in history," effectively closing the doors and even locking them.

Then, time passed, the tide turned, and he sat at the table with him, even though Sisi had not issued a general amnesty or released anyone. We do not know if Sisi turned to him and said, "My friend, you threw so much at me behind my back, you said everything you could, now with what face are you standing before me?" but the image of Erdoğan reflected in the cameras after the meeting has undoubtedly gone down in world political history.

As in the case of Sisi, no one is surprised anymore when he calls something white today and black tomorrow in diplomacy.

In fact, those who know Erdoğan even a little are surprised by those who are surprised.

However, what is truly surprising is not that Erdoğan makes U-turns in foreign policy; it is that we should all have learned by now that he does not stand firmly behind any of his words, does not refrain from backtracking, and does not act on principle.

Unfortunately, at best, at least half of society is indifferent to these issues.

Let us not just call it a goldfish memory; the vast majority of society is not at all interested in the content of the statements Erdoğan makes in foreign policy.

What Erdoğan said to whom yesterday is not very important to them; what matters is what he says today.

With a flexibility that makes even the legendary belly dancer Nesrin Topkapı look like a novice, the palace media is always on duty to convince the AKP voters, who are already willing to believe, by repeating that magnificent line from the movie Banker Bilo: "He said it, yes he said it. But ask yourself, why did he say it?"

Let us give credit where it is due; they are doing their best to ensure the 'ummah' keeps up with the Reis's speed of rotation.

No question mark has sprouted in the minds of his voters, whom he has fed, satisfied, and even drugged with plenty of rhetoric about religion, faith, the flag, and the call to prayer. Even if one did sprout, it did not bloom and grow.

Even if we attribute Süleyman Demirel's words, "yesterday is yesterday, today is today"—which could serve as a preface to the book of pragmatism—to his maneuvering ability in domestic politics, it is known that he is extremely sensitive in foreign policy and speaks with great caution.

However, because Erdoğan has exempted himself from criticism and questioning with his one-man regime, he constantly shoots at the ball as it comes in foreign policy.

Whether it results in a goal or not is of no importance.

The applause from the stands is reflected as votes in the ballot box anyway.

The rest is in God's hands.

For 22 years, Erdoğan has done as he pleased in this arena, converting the material he gathered from foreign policy into domestic politics.

To understand his political philosophy, it is enough to examine how he backtracks five days after saying something just three days ago, and how he shifts into reverse when he sees difficulty!

He has never had to pay the price for all this wavering, for denying today what he said yesterday, for saying things to another country's leader that even an ordinary person on the street would hesitate to utter, or for thinking he is conducting diplomacy by increasing or decreasing the dose of his rhetoric.

But this bill is being placed in front of Turkey one way or another.

Paying it is left to us in any case.

Because his political algorithm is solely about winning elections, he views foreign policy from this perspective. He does not approach diplomacy with a perspective beyond whether it will benefit the continuation of his own power.

Concepts such as the importance of Turkey's strategic position, the country's national interests, and its honor have very little value in his eyes!

After coming to power, he squandered the entire foreign policy accumulation of the Republic of Turkey like a wayward heir.

He ended Turkey's balanced, trust-building, and rational foreign policy.

The result is clear!

Unfortunately, Turkey no longer has any weight on a global or regional scale. Although the fallacy of being a "world leader" finds ground inside the country, Turkey's prestige in the international arena has hit rock bottom.

To understand this, it is enough to look at the treatment Turkish citizens are subjected to at the border gates of foreign countries.

Our passport has almost no value left.

Those carrying a Republic of Turkey passport are pushed and shoved by passport police not only in Western countries but also in countries whose location on the map most people do not know.

European countries have stopped giving appointments for applications, let alone Schengen visas.

Denmark openly said, "We do not want anyone from Turkey, even as a tourist."

Even Moldova, which is not a member of the European Union, does not want Turks to come to their country. Moldova did not let gastronomy writer Ebru Erke and her journalist friend Paul Benjamin Osterlund, who came to watch the wine festival, through the door and sent them back. They said, "This is not a tourist country, do not come again."

Nicaragua, which has visa exemption with Turkey, does not let Turkish citizens into the country unless they have a US or Schengen visa in their passports. The reason is that Turkish citizens are crossing through Central America to Mexico and seeking asylum in the US.

Japan and South Korea, which do not officially require visas, give Turkish citizens a hard time at passport control.

People are insulted and humiliated at border gates simply and solely because they carry a Republic of Turkey passport.

In the near future, Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina will also start applying visas to Turkish citizens.

This is the picture!

The Turkish people are being condemned to an open-air prison.

Unfortunately, the circumstances and conditions in foreign affairs are manifesting in a highly unfavorable manner.

The strategic dimension of the issue, which also concerns Turkey's survival, reveals an even more dire picture.

Let us put a period here for now, saying we will make this the subject of another article.