The envelope and the contents in our foreign policy!..

We know why Trump loves Erdoğan so much, given how he recounts saving Pastor Brunson at every opportunity. Not even 20 days ago, when asked, 'Will you invite Turkey to respond to Yemen?', he replied, 'He is a great guy. He is a very close friend of mine, I can do that. I have great respect for the President of Turkey. I think President Erdoğan will fulfill my request.' Yet, there was not a peep from our 'domestic and national forces.'

There are two other names that Trump and his men like in our country: Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and MIT Undersecretary İbrahim Kalın.

For example, Steve Witkoff, Trump's Special Envoy to the Middle East—and a patron of Israel—spoke as follows while stating that he trusts the expertise of Fidan and Kalın:

'I might encounter a problem in Azerbaijan or Armenia, or there might be an issue regarding Ukraine. The gentlemen I mentioned in Turkey are experts on these matters, and the Trump administration encourages me; that is how things work. For example, I call Tom (Barrack) and ask, "What does İbrahim think about this?"'

Colonial governor Tom Barrack also praised the PKK opening, noting the following:

'When you look at the peace process being carried out, there are very good professionals. Under the leadership of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Hakan Fidan and İbrahim Kalın have done a great job in establishing relations with Öcalan and other Kurds. And I think this road is longer. This covers all the pieces of the misunderstandings between the four major countries where Kurds live. It is an opportunity to bring everyone together and allow the Kurds to determine their own lives. That is why I am hopeful for the Kurds.'

THE MECCA AGREEMENT: ENVELOPE AND CONTENTS

Our topic is the Mecca Agreement signed between Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, and the landscape of our foreign policy based on this. You know how the emphasis on 'envelope-contents' is used to express the importance of substance versus appearance; we will focus more on the 'envelope.'

The Mecca Agreement, which is expected to be discussed in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) this week, was signed on August 7 by Erdoğan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Foreign Minister Fidan, Defense Minister Yaşar Güler, and MIT Undersecretary İbrahim Kalın were also there.

Neither the TBMM nor the Turkish nation was aware of the content of this agreement until it was discussed in the TBMM Foreign Affairs Committee on October 27; however, the first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee established under the agreement was held in Istanbul on August 31. At the meeting attended by the Foreign and Defense Ministers and Chiefs of General Staff of the three countries, 'the roadmap of the alliance and concrete steps for cooperation in military matters' were evaluated.

Upon an 'urgent' call made by Saudi Arabia due to the alleged increase in attacks by the Houthis in Yemen, Chief of General Staff General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu went to Riyadh on September 25 and met with his Saudi and Pakistani counterparts. However, the content of the meeting was not disclosed.

On October 5, the Strategic Political and Defense Committee met in Riyadh this time. In this meeting, where Turkey was represented by Foreign Minister Fidan, Defense Minister Güler, and Chief of General Staff Bayraktaroğlu, it was decided to 'provide Saudi Arabia with agreed-upon military forces and capabilities within the framework of agreed arrangements and to take measures for their rapid deployment.'

KALIN GOING TO TEHRAN

The most striking event in this process was the Tehran meeting on October 26. One day before the Mecca agreement was discussed in the TBMM Foreign Affairs Committee, this meeting was hosted by Mohsen Rezaee, Secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council of Iran, and attended by Iranian President Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi; Saudi Arabia was represented by Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan by Chief of General Staff Asım Münir, and Turkey by MIT Undersecretary İbrahim Kalın.

Regarding the meeting in question; aside from comments such as 'Negotiations between the US and Iran were also brought to the agenda... MIT Undersecretary Kalın's high-level contacts were an important example of the effective mediation role Turkey has undertaken in crises... A move to persuade Tehran... The possibility of mediation'; it was questioned why the MIT Undersecretary, rather than the Foreign or Defense Minister, went to Tehran.

Mehmet Ali Güller from *Cumhuriyet* asked the question: 'Why was Turkey represented by the MIT undersecretary instead of the committee members? Could Ankara have chosen such an assignment to avoid giving the appearance of a "Mecca alliance" to the meeting?'

Arslan Bulut from *Yeniçağ*, after criticizing Defense Minister Yaşar Güler for not going to Tehran, emphasized that with the approval of this agreement, Turkey would be protecting not only Saudi Arabia but also Israel against the Houthis, and said, 'National Defense Minister Yaşar Güler, as a former Chief of General Staff, must explain to the public on what grounds he is undertaking this historical responsibility.'

Let us state this regarding Defense Minister Güler; it is not that he did not speak about the Mecca agreement, he did. For example, on October 23, he said, 'Turkish soldiers will not clash with the Houthis.' On October 27, the day the agreement was discussed in the TBMM Foreign Affairs Committee, he said that the agreement 'aims to develop security cooperation between the parties and to establish a more institutional structure.'

WHERE WERE THE TWO MINISTERS ON OCTOBER 26-27?

So, where were our two ministers on the day MIT Undersecretary Kalın went to Tehran? Both Fidan and Güler were in Ankara, and both met with TRNC Prime Minister Ünal Üstel.

What about the next day, when the agreement was discussed in the TBMM Foreign Affairs Committee?

While Güler was going to İskenderun with Chief of General Staff General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu to attend the Flag Presentation Ceremony of the 2nd Amphibious Marine Infantry Brigade Command, Fidan was in Ankara and received members of the Young Diplomacy Association, which includes young AKP members, primarily Erdoğan's grandson.

That is why the presentation regarding the Mecca agreement in the TBMM Foreign Affairs Committee was made by Deputy Foreign Minister Levent Gümrükçü.

Equally interesting is that the agreement was not discussed in the National Defense Committee before the Foreign Affairs Committee, and when Utku Çakırözer of the New Party asked about this, the answer given by Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Fuat Oktay was:

'The National Defense Committee notified us in writing that it would not discuss the proposal in question. They have no warnings or reports. Since it was directed to us within 10 days as per the internal regulations, we have to discuss it.'

Let us also note that Çakırözer reacted to the Mecca agreement, which was accepted by a majority vote, with the words, 'There is a Trump plan here. There is the plan of the tactless ambassador Tom Barrack. Just like in the Gaza issue, you are becoming an American subcontractor again,' and let us draw attention to other scenes from our foreign policy.

LIKE A CO-FOREIGN MINISTER

When Assad was overthrown in 2024 and HTS leader Jolani/Shara was brought to the head of Syria, MIT Undersecretary İbrahim Kalın was the first to go to Damascus. Jolani even drove Kalın's official vehicle. Foreign Minister Fidan, who went to Damascus 10 days after Kalın, also drank tea with Jolani on Mount Qasioun.

Whenever Syria's Foreign Minister Shaibani or representatives from HAMAS came to Turkey, they met with both Fidan and Kalın separately, either every time or at certain intervals.

Kalın's visits to Afghanistan and Pakistan in mid-September were also important. However, before the content of this visit, let us provide information about Asım Münir, the Commander of the Pakistan Defense Forces and Army, one of the actors of the Mecca agreement.

Trump also likes Asım Münir. So much so that he hosted him at the White House in June 2025, along with Lieutenant General Asim Malik, the head of Pakistan's Intelligence Service. According to the statement by the Pakistan Armed Forces, Trump and Munir discussed issues such as 'the Iran-Israel conflict, Pakistan-India tension, Pakistan-US relations, cooperation in counter-terrorism, trade, economic development, mines, and minerals' during this meeting.

When the Mecca agreement was signed, posters featuring Munir, as well as Erdoğan, Crown Prince Salman, and Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif, were hung on the streets of Pakistan.

As for Kalın's visits to Afghanistan and Pakistan on September 16-17; in Afghanistan, he met not only with his counterpart but also with the deputy prime minister for economic affairs, the defense minister, and the interior minister of the interim government. It was reported that 'regional and global developments, especially the US/Israel-Iran war,' were also discussed in the meetings.

In Pakistan, he met with his counterpart again, as well as Chief of General Staff Asım Münir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The main topic was, of course, the Mecca agreement. It was also noted that Turkey 'will continue to make every effort to resolve the tension between Afghanistan and Pakistan through dialogue.'

ALSO ACTIVE IN GREECE AND LIBYA

MIT Undersecretary Kalın also went to Athens at the end of August and met with Themistoklis Demiris, the head of the Greek National Intelligence Service.

While security sources reported that the two intelligence officers discussed almost all the world's problems, especially 'the US-Iran war, the new era in Syria, the political unity of Libya, and the Palestinian issue,' in addition to Turkey-Greece relations, a writer for the pro-government media emphasized that Kalın gave 'clear and net' messages to his interlocutor regarding Turkey's rights and interests in the Aegean and the Mediterranean.

But what happened about 10 days ago? It turned out that Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan gave extremely soft messages in Brussels to a Greek journalist regarding 'casus belli, the Blue Homeland, and the electricity cable project planned between Israel, the Greek Cypriot administration, and Greece.'

Finally, let us look at the developments in the process of the maritime jurisdiction agreement signed with the Libyan Government of National Unity in 2019 being approved by the parliament of Haftar, with whom we were once at daggers drawn.

MIT Undersecretary Kalın met with Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh, who would later be dismissed, and High Council of State President Mohamed Takala in Ankara on September 10 to discuss ensuring political and military unity in Libya.

On September 19, İbrahim Kalın again discussed the same issues and the steps to be taken for the continuation of Libya-Turkey cooperation with the Acting Defense Minister of the Libyan Government of National Unity in Istanbul.

Kalın also went to Libya on October 20 and met with Prime Minister Dbeibeh of the Government of National Unity, and it was announced on the same day that the maritime jurisdiction agreement had been approved.

While our Ministry of Foreign Affairs made a statement saying, 'We welcome the decision,' Ministry sources also reported that Minister Hakan Fidan had spoken by phone with Dbeibeh and Saddam Haftar, Deputy Commander of the Libyan National Army, and thanked them.

Here is the point we are getting at; while no intelligence chief in the world, including the US, is so much in the public eye, and even the names of most are not known, what should one interpret from İbrahim Kalın being so active as if he were a Foreign Minister, and most of his activities being announced by the state's own Anadolu Agency?!

Whether it is 'burden sharing' with Hakan Fidan or a reflection of the much-talked-about 'intra-power struggle,' it is unknown; but while both names are running around all over the world, our situation is as follows:

It is still unknown by whom and in what capacity Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides, who will attend the UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) starting in Antalya on November 9, was invited...

While the government's greatest cause is the Palestinian issue, there is no explanation for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas going to the Greek Cypriot side on our October 29 Republic Day...

And furthermore, does anyone understand why the Azerbaijani media directly accuses Fidan of 'intelligence operations, secret meetings, and coup and chaos plans,' while Foreign Minister Fidan says, 'We are an ancient nation. We sit down and talk about our own problems in a way that befits this ancient past. There is no reason for these to be turned into a propaganda tool on social media,' even as the most 'unthinkable' happens and our relations with Azerbaijan sour?..