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| The Grand Turk | |||
| 'Against all odds.' Erdogan emerged victorious from all battles in 2023 | |||
| 2024-01-02 | |||
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Kamran Hasanov [REGNUM] If we talk about the history of Turkey as a whole, then, probably, none of the events that happened in 2023 will compare with the fact that the country celebrated its 100th anniversary. This is a long time. Considering that the very preservation of the current borders was in doubt due to the Treaty of Sèvres , even supporters of Pan-Osmanism should be satisfied with 780 thousand square kilometers. The outgoing year for Turkey was largely built around three pillars: presidential and parliamentary elections, the financial crisis and the stabilization of relations with the outside world. RELATIONS WITH THE WEST ARE STABLE Unlike previous ones, the 2023 elections have proven to be very difficult for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP). After all, not only traditional oppositionists from the Republican People's Party (CHP), but also former comrades Ahmet Davutoglu and Ali Babacan spoke out against him in May . In parliament, the AKP and its junior partner, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), were opposed by a coalition of six parties. But Erdogan survived, although victory was given to him only in the second round. The success of his party coalition was even more confident. Erdogan's triumph was achieved against all odds. Despite the financial crisis, the fall of the lira and double-digit inflation. Despite the largest earthquake in the 21st century in the east, which claimed the lives of 30 thousand citizens. And, of course, despite foreign pressure. Western media and politicians did not hide the fact that they wished the victory of the secular opposition, which would save the West from Erdogan’s constant blackmail on issues of migration and NATO expansion. What can I say, even Joe Biden, back in his election campaign, announced the goal of removing the Turkish president through elections. Türkiye is too strong to ignore, much less isolate. Having understood these realities, the West was forced to accept and recognize Erdogan’s victory. American credit institutions upgraded Turkey's rating, and the economy began to breathe again. Turkey's GDP looked quite decent due to export growth. Its rise in the third quarter accelerated to 5.9% and turned out to be better than forecast. Partly, there is a role for the West in this. After all, at the July NATO summit, Erdogan unexpectedly supported Sweden’s membership in NATO and even invited Ukraine there - even Biden and Olaf Scholz did not dare to do the latter . Well-known journalist Seymour Hersh
For the sake of the economy, Erdogan made another concession to the globalists - he allowed his Central Bank to raise the key rate. As a result, inflation in the country fell from 80 percent to less than 40 percent. RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA ON THE RISE Turkey’s relations with Russia this year were as pragmatic as in all recent years. Trade turnover grew and reached a record $60 billion. The Akkuyu NPP project is being successfully implemented - the first reactor is already ready for launch. On September 5, the long-awaited meeting between Vladimir Putin and Erdogan took place in Sochi - an important moment given that Putin has seen few foreign leaders in the past two years. Erdogan showed understanding and came to Russia himself. A certain chill in relations appeared after the NATO summit. In addition, in addition to agreeing to expand the alliance, Turkey gave the “Azovites” to Ukraine (“Azov” is an organization whose activities are prohibited in the Russian Federation). But joint projects - trade, a new nuclear power plant in Snopa, a gas hub, “synchronizing watches” in Transcaucasia and the Middle East - maintain a partnership level of relations. True, Russia refused to extend the grain deal, which Erdogan strongly insisted on. But at the same time, in March, for the sake of his victory in the elections, Russia already extended the deal by 60 days. Due to the focus on internal problems, post-earthquake recovery and efforts to rehabilitate the economy, Turkey had less and less energy for an active foreign policy this year. If at the initial stage of the NWO it was Ankara that seized the initiative from everyone in mediation, now it has serious competitors. The Saudis held their summit in Jeddah, Xi Jinping proposed a 12-point formula, and African countries, India and Brazil are coming forward with peace initiatives. RELATIONS IN THE REGION ARE SUCCESSFUL Where Erdogan's success is most convincing is in the Middle East. This year, relations with the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which had been shaken due to the events in Syria and Libya, were finally restored. Immediately after winning the elections, Erdogan went to Abu Dhabi. UAE President Emir Mohammed bin Zayed warmly received his colleague and concluded a deal with him worth more than $50 billion. As part of that tour, the Turkish president visited Saudi Arabia, which contributed $5 billion to the Turkish Central Bank. Relations with Egypt are also being restored. In November, amid events in Gaza, Erdoğan met again with President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi . Erdogan’s relations with Egypt were even more strained than with the UAE and KSA, since the Turkish leader supported Al-Sisi’s direct opponents in the person of the Muslim Brotherhood (an organization whose activities are banned in the Russian Federation). The attitude towards Hamas in the KSA, UAE and Egypt, although not as positive as that of Erdogan’s party, still the tragedy and death of thousands of Palestinians creates a kind of Muslim unity, which brings Turkey even closer to its former rivals. The return to the “zero problems” policy with neighbors was also taking place on other fronts. Erdogan recently visited Athens, the second visit by a Turkish president to Greece in 70 years. The two countries have been on the brink of war in recent years over disputed islands in the Aegean Sea, exploration in the Mediterranean and Cyprus. But the leaders found the strength to go to peace. A certain positivity can be observed this year in relations with Iran. Tehran has softened its tone towards Ankara's ally Baku. Although at the beginning of 2023, there was a hint of conflict on Iran’s northern borders after an attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran. Iran has come to terms with the defeat of Armenia and the complete transfer of control over Karabakh to Azerbaijan. Tehran and Baku agreed to create their own “Zangezur Corridor”. In October, a meeting was held in Tehran at the level of the foreign ministers of Iran, Turkey, Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia. After the creation of the 3+3 format, fears of Iran's isolation in the region were dispelled. Iran also did not like the fact that Turkey was restoring ties with Damascus through the mediation of Moscow. But there is progress here too. In May, Moscow hosted the foreign ministers of four countries, including Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Abdollahian . Against the backdrop of the Gaza crisis, Turkey and Iran have become closer, as they are more active in supporting Hamas than others. However, Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi still canceled his visit to Ankara. According to rumors, due to its demands on the Turkish side to more actively support Palestine. The resolution of the Karabakh issue contributes to the rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia. In June, Erdogan confirmed that he would continue efforts to normalize bilateral relations. If it were not for the war in Gaza, there would not be a single country with which Turkey would not have found a common language this year. However, Erdogan could not look indifferently at the death of more than 20 thousand Palestinians in Gaza and the defeat of his ideological ally Hamas. He canceled his visit to Israel, declared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a war criminal and assembled an army of international lawyers to bring the leaders of the Jewish state to justice.
The main domestic political result of the year is Erdogan’s confident retention of power.
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| Posted by:badanov |
| #1 A real feel good underdog story for 2023. Evil megalomaniac overcomes steep odds to maintain power over a population that prefers someone more demented. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2024-01-02 06:39 |