Turkish diplomacy.. deserved global praise

Turkey continues its intensified diplomatic moves in an interesting way, especially since it has become more present at the international level since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war in late February.

Turkey has been involved in the mediation role between Moscow and Kiev since the first days of the outbreak of the clashes between them, through its success in arranging a meeting between the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomatic Forum.

Turkey’s efforts to establish a ceasefire between Moscow and Kiev and put an end to the energy and food crises around the world have been supported and praised by several countries, most notably the United States of America, France and Britain, as well as prominent international organizations such as NATO and the European Union.

Although the talks between Russia and Ukraine ended with the two countries away from the dialogue table for reasons specific to their internal and external dynamics, and in view of the events in the war zone between them, the steps taken to overcome the global food crisis were important and valuable.

Turkey’s diplomatic victories

The Russian-Ukrainian war opened the door to a phase of growing fears felt by the countries neighboring Russia.

This prompted Finland and Sweden (the two neighbors of Russia) to submit an application to join “NATO” to turn the attention again to Turkey.

The two European countries faced Turkey’s refusal to join NATO, due to their hosting of the activities of the “Gülen” and “PKK” terrorist organizations on their soil, in addition to imposing some trade and economic sanctions on Turkey.

In light of these developments, prominent international actors such as NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson launched initiatives on the Turkish position on Finland and Sweden joining the alliance.

In this context, the tripartite summit that brought together Turkey, Finland and Sweden was the highlight of the summit of NATO member states in the Spanish capital, Madrid, from June 28-30.

The summit that brought together the three parties witnessed sensitive decisions being taken, most notably Finland and Sweden accepting, through a written agreement, the rightful demands of Turkey, which were represented by the two European countries stopping their financial and military support for terrorist organizations and stopping the propaganda activities carried out by terrorist organizations on their soil.

On the other hand, Turkey announced that it would not reject Finland and Sweden joining NATO if they implemented the agreement concluded in Madrid.

The extent of the two countries’ commitment to implementing the tripartite agreement will become clear over time.

In Sweden, which will hold general elections on September 11, there is talk of severing ties with the PKK.

Prime Minister Magdalena Andersen announced her intention not to engage her party in a partnership with the opposition left-wing party, some of whose members took pictures with the so-called “flags of the terrorist YPG/PKK organization”, which was considered a concrete step for Sweden’s commitment to implementing the tripartite agreement.

In addition, the Swedish government confirms that it will not provide any material or moral support to the PKK in the country, despite the opposition.

Turkey reserves the right to refuse Finland and Sweden joining NATO if it is proven that the two countries are not committed to implementing the tripartite agreement and did not take into account its concerns.

Turkey’s stances during the “NATO” summit in Madrid and its obtaining the support of prominent countries in the ranks of the alliance prompted Greece to adopt a softer stance in its continuous hostile stances towards Ankara for years.

This was evident in the request of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis for a date to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the Madrid summit to hold talks on the Cyprus issue, but Ankara responded by pointing out that Cyprus is the appropriate place to talk about this issue, which was recorded as a diplomatic success in Turkey box.

Middle East Balances

In addition to these developments in the Western world, the Middle East has also witnessed transformations that opened the door to a new phase in the region.

In light of these developments, Turkey has resorted to rearranging its political and economic cards within the democratic system and regional balances.

In this context, it has conducted many meetings and contacts to strengthen bilateral relations with the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

Diplomatic initiatives in the Gulf region and the process of normalization with Israel show the presence of new steps on the political level as well as on the commercial and economic levels.

In conclusion, Turkey has intensified its diplomatic moves as of last January, which has strengthened its role and position within the international system.

Turkey’s undeniable role and influence in finding a solution to the global food crisis, along with steps of diplomatic normalization with the Gulf states and Israel, made Ankara a key element in many equations in the West, NATO, the region and the Middle East.

Therefore, the diplomatic successes achieved by Turkey could constitute a multiplier effect in its military operation, which it intends to implement in northern Syria out of legitimate security concerns.