Wang Jin: Turkey seeks to be an "equal partner" of the West
Author: Wang Jin, Associate Professor, Institute of Middle East Studies, Northwestern University, Research Fellow, Center for Syrian Studies
Source: Workers Daily, October 29, 8th edition of the "Guan Peeping the World" column
WeChat platform editor: Zhou Yue
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In recent years, Turkey and European countries have been at odds on many issues, and Turkey and the United States have also been at odds. However, Turkey and the West need each other, and the relationship is generally controllable. This diplomatic storm is actually the "pain" experienced by Turkey in seeking to be an "equal partner" of Western countries.
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On October 27, Turkey's defense minister spoke with the U.S. defense minister by phone to discuss bilateral relations. U.S. media reported that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet with U.S. President Joe Biden during the United Nations Climate Change Conference.
This series of interactions between Turkey and the United States is related to the diplomatic turmoil that has occurred between Turkey and the West in recent days. Although the turmoil has subsided for the time being, how Turkey's relations with the West have developed is of concern.
Relationships are put to the test
Recently, the Turkish government has called diplomatic envoys from 10 countries, including the United States, Canada, France, Finland, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden, "undesirables." The Turkish side's decision stemmed from a dispute with the West over the Kavala case.
Kavala is a domestic political dissident in Turkey. Born in Paris, France in the 1950s, he studied in Turkey and the United States, and later returned to Turkey to organize and participate in several Turkish social groups. These groups have close ties to Western countries and are funded by Europe and the United States.
In December 2017, Kavala was arrested by the Turkish judiciary on charges of organizing a 2013 demonstration against then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
In February 2020, a Turkish court acquitted Kavala. But hours after the verdict went into effect, Kavala was again re-arrested by istanbul Prosecutor's Office in Turkey on suspicion of involvement in an attempted military coup in July 2016 and of "serving U.S. intelligence agencies." If convicted, Kavala could be sentenced to life in prison.
In May 2021, a Turkish court rejected Kavala's request for acquittal and announced that the case would be heard in early November.
The Kavala case has attracted western attention. In December 2019, the European Court of Human Rights called on the Turkish government to immediately release Kavala. In September this year, the European Commission decided that if Turkey failed to release Kavala before the November Council of Ministers' Meeting, the European Commission would sanction Turkey and not even rule out the termination of Turkey's membership in the Council of Europe.
Meanwhile, the ambassadors of 10 Western countries to Turkey also issued a joint statement on social media, claiming that the Kavala case "raises questions about the impartiality of Turkey's judicial system."
After Turkey took a tough stance on the ambassadors of the 10 Western countries, the United States and other countries finally declared that they would not interfere in Turkey's internal affairs, and Turkey also said that it would no longer list the ambassadors of these 10 countries as "undesirable".
Turkey and Europe are constantly divided
In recent years, Turkey has been at odds with European countries.
First, EU membership is the source of Turkey's rift with European countries. Turkey's quest to join the European Union dates back to 1963. However, EU member states generally believe that there is still a gap between Turkey and EU standards in terms of national political system, political culture and economic development.
Turkey, for its part, believes that EU member states have implemented a "discriminatory policy" against Turkey and have failed to correctly and objectively assess Turkey's political changes and national development. Erdogan is very dissatisfied with the EU and has even repeatedly stated that "Turkey does not need EU membership".
Second, the differences between Turkey and Cyprus and Greece over the demarcation of the eastern Mediterranean have exacerbated tensions between Turkey and Europe. Turkey adheres to the principle of "delimitation of the continental shelf" and believes that parts of the sea areas of Cyprus and Greece should be owned by Turkey. EU member states generally support Cyprus and Greece and oppose Turkey's delimitation of the border.
Finally, European countries often criticize Turkey's domestic policies. Since Erdogan came to power, domestic political criticism of Turkey in European countries has increased. In particular, after the attempted military coup in Turkey in 2016, Turkey accused Germany and France of "supporting the coup soldiers" and demanded that Germany and Greece hand over the fleeing Turkish coup officers; European countries criticized Turkey for "violating human rights". A sense of distrust in Turkey and European countries is building.
There are many contradictions between The United States and The United States
Although U.S. criticism of Turkey is relatively low-key, Turkey's relationship with the United States is also tested.
On the one hand, it is difficult to bridge the contradictions between Turkey and the United States on the issue of arms sales.
After the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Turkey feared that its southern border would be affected, and the need to purchase advanced air defense systems was urgent. But the United States was reluctant to sell the advanced Patriot anti-aircraft missile system to Turkey, so Turkey instead imported the S-400 air defense system from Russia.
However, Turkey is a nato member, and the United States fears that Turkey's introduction of Russian air defense systems will give Russia access to NATO's military data. Therefore, the United States not only threatened to sanction Turkey, but also refused to deliver the F-35 fighter jets ordered by Turkey.
On the other hand, there are differences between Turkey and the United States on some regional issues.
On the Syrian issue and the Libya issue, the United States opposes Turkey's intervention; on the Palestinian-Israeli issue, Turkey constantly attacks the United States' ally Israel; on the Iranian nuclear issue, Turkey opposes the US sanctions on Iran and hopes to continue to import crude oil and natural gas from Iran; on the Afghan issue, Turkey criticizes the US withdrawal as "irresponsible" and believes that the United States should be responsible for the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
Despite the contradictions between Turkey and the West, relations remain manageable.
From Turkey's point of view, joining the European Union remains an important strategic goal, and maintaining the alliance with the United States in NATO remains an important guarantee for Turkey's national security.
For the Western, Europe still needs Turkey's help to prevent the influx of millions of refugees into Europe, and the United States needs to cooperate with Turkey on a range of Middle East issues.
The contradiction between Turkey and the 10 Western countries is actually the "pain" experienced by Turkey in seeking to be an "equal partner" of Western countries.
*Disclaimer: This article only represents the personal views of the author and does not represent the position of this official account
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