The closest danger to our south

Erdoğan, who spoke of entering Israel in July, said 3 months later at the opening of Parliament that Israel's target after Palestine and Lebanon is Turkey. Following this, his partner Devlet Bahçeli initiated the İmralı-DEM opening to stop the US-Israel hitman PKK/YPG/PYD.

All the messages given were that we are facing a great siege and threat to our south.

Indeed, that is true, but this is not the only siege and threat to our south, or even to our west!..

Let us first present the picture of what happened in our west, in just the month of October, with main headlines.

Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis, whom Ankara considers a "dove," announced that they will never give up their right to "12 nautical miles," which Turkey considers a "casus belli" (cause for war), meaning in Turkish that they are determined to reach İzmir.

Furthermore, Greece has taken action to open Çamada, located to the east of Kızılhisarlı (Kastellorizo), to development, following the Karaada rocks near Kızılhisarlı (Kastellorizo) Island, which is 1.5 kilometers away from Antalya's Kaş district—islands that are prohibited from being armed or opened to development according to the Treaty of Lausanne.

It was reported that the Spike NLOS missiles that Greece will receive from Israel will be delivered in February 2025 and will be deployed to units on the Eastern Aegean islands.

Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, who went to the Greek Cypriot side to attend the 64th anniversary ceremonies of the independence of the so-called "Republic of Cyprus," which the Greek Cypriots destroyed with their own hands, once again described the Cyprus Peace Operation as an "occupation" and said that the "Republic of Cyprus," the only independent and legal state on the island which is an EU member with Greece's help, has become a pillar of security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean. Stating Greece's commitment to the goal of eliminating the "illegal occupation and guarantor system" that has been ongoing for 50 years and reaching a solution within the framework of UN resolutions and the EU acquis, Sakellaropoulou noted that they support the efforts of UN Secretary-General Guterres to restart negotiations in this direction, and also that EU-Turkey relations depend on "progress on the Cyprus issue." Sakellaropoulou also emphasized that they appreciate the role of the Greek Cypriot side in dealing with the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

BIDEN INVITED THE GREEK CYPRIOT LEADER, NOT ERDOĞAN

Let us underline three points regarding Cyprus.

After the Israel-Palestine war that began on October 7 last year, the US and all other powers turned the Greek Cypriot side, where they had built up forces to support Israel, into a military base. Moreover, the US lifted the arms embargo it had imposed on the Greek Cypriot side and signed a 5-year defense cooperation agreement.

Everyone, including Erdoğan and TRNC President Ersin Tatar, warned that Cyprus, which is within Israel's Arz-ı Mev'ud (Promised Land) plan, could also become a target...

Erdoğan has consistently said that the only way to solve the "Cyprus issue" is the recognition of the TRNC, and that they would not sit at the negotiating table until this happens.

But in the middle of October, we saw this:

UN Secretary-General Guterres sat TRNC President Tatar and Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides at the same table in New York under the name of "informal talks." No one said, "What is this contradiction?"

A few days ago, this happened:

US President Joe Biden, who has supported Greek-Greek Cypriot policies throughout his life, hosted Greek Cypriot leader Christodoulides at the White House days before he leaves office. This was a first in 28 years. During the meeting, while Biden repeated his pro-Greek Cypriot views, he said regarding our Peace Operation 50 years ago, "It was my first year in the American Senate. It was a sad day [for Turkey's intervention in Cyprus]." The Greek Cypriot leader claimed that "My country has been under occupation for 50 years" and, stating that he trusts the support of Biden and the US "for the continuation of negotiations and finding a solution compatible with the UN Security Council resolution," said that Cyprus is "a predictable and reliable partner of the US in a region of great geopolitical importance," and that the level of relations between the two countries is at a "strategic and historical height."

Where did Nikos Christodoulides go immediately after the White House?

He ran to Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis, whom Erdoğan and his team hold in high regard. Mitsotakis congratulated Christodoulides on his meeting with the US President and emphasized that "the strategic dimension of the relationship Cyprus has acquired with the US has been confirmed."

Only TRNC Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu reacted to this development, which shows that the US has reached a similar point in Cyprus after clearly taking the side of Greece in the Turkey-Greece balance.

Not a single sound came from Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who will go to Athens in 5 days upon Erdoğan's instruction to continue the "positive momentum" captured between the two countries, nor from the Ministry.

THE BIGGEST SURPRISE IS YET TO COME

The siege in the Aegean and Cyprus is not limited to these; more is coming. Let us explain this with main headlines as well.

As is known, negotiations with the EU were cut off years ago due to the vetoes of the Greek Cypriot side and France, but the government did not give up on the EU goal.

It was the end of August; everyone was very happy when Hakan Fidan was invited to Brussels for the informal EU Foreign Ministers' meeting after a 5-year hiatus. One of the main reasons for the invitation, which made one think "Why did he kiss me, it's neither a holiday nor a special occasion," was Cyprus. Indeed, while Minister Fidan stated that "establishing a link between the Cyprus issue and Turkey-EU relations is not a healthy method and will not yield any results," EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, who emphasized that Turkey "will continue to remain a candidate country," announced that they discussed the Middle East and Cyprus situation with Fidan and said, "Let us hope that our invitation to the Turkish Foreign Minister to our meeting will be the first step to restart the dialogue process to find a solution to all problems, but especially to Cyprus."

What is the EU's headache in Cyprus?

First; it wants the "problem" to be solved in line with Greek Cypriot theses, for negotiations to restart, and to participate in these negotiations as a party.

Second; it is pursuing making the Greek Cypriot side a NATO member. The story of this 20-25 year project is long. In the 2000s, they first attempted to establish a "European army" under the name of serving in "crisis regions" with a NATO-EU partnership. At that time, the Greek Cypriot side was not yet an EU member, but since Greece, which is both an EU and NATO member, would be in the decision-making mechanisms, it would indirectly lead to developments in favor of the Greek Cypriot side. The government of the time and the General Staff opposed this. One of those who opposed it was Erdoğan, who had just founded the AKP.

However, the Greek Cypriot side's EU membership fell to the lot (!) of the AKP government. Subsequently, the EU imposed the condition on Turkey to approve the Greek Cypriot side's NATO membership.

In the following years, NATO-EU tried to implement this European army plan under different names. Especially in the NATO kitchen, various preparations were made.

Ultimately, last May, an expression like this came out of the mouth of Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler:

"We desire to join the European army. We are currently the second strongest army in NATO."

It is called a "European army." First; since Turkey is not an EU member, how will this happen? Second; since it is considered certain that the Greek Cypriot side will be included in this army to be established with a NATO-EU partnership, won't the Greek Cypriot NATO membership be effectively implemented by going around the back or entering through the chimney?

Where do we infer this from?

New NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who came together on October 29, announced that the "high-level task force" established by the two institutions will hold its first meeting in the coming weeks. This must be a different version or precursor of the "European army," as it is reported that the EU has recorded that "the obstruction by Turkey of the participation of the EU member Republic of Cyprus in NATO's programs creates problems in terms of NATO-EU cooperation."

In short; to what should we attribute Ankara's silence in the face of this great siege in our south and west?

When Erdoğan was criticizing the government in 2001 for not making a statement to Parliament and the public regarding the European Army, he said, "What is happening shows that this government, after making Turkey a colony in financial terms, is also putting our national security under guardianship."

Are we exactly in this situation on the 22nd anniversary of the AKP's coming to power?!

Müyesser YILDIZ

November 3, 2024