The game of Turkey*: Ankara’s ultimate purpose is to use the crisis to promote it’s interests
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
By Ilias Kouskouvelis*
It seems that European leaders could not conceal their surprise at seeing Turkey’s behaviour lately. What did they expect? Did they really believe that Turkey would respect the agreement with the EU on the refugees, without trying to maximize its gains on a variety of issues? Did they really expect that, because Greece and Turkey are allies and there are high level meetings between them, the Turks would stop violating the Hellenic airspace and stop “sending” refugees to the Greek islands?
Turkey, since the beginning, is playing a political “game” with the refugees and with its allies. Moreover, is denouncing them (primarily the US), because they do not agree with its ambitions in Syria and its plans against the Syrian Kurds. Thus, as it was not possible to install the refugees outside its southern border, and create a buffer zone (opposed to by the U.S.) in order to prevent the control of the region by the Syrian Kurds, Turkey decided to use the refugees in order to exercise pressure on the Europeans, and, at the same time, create problems to Greece.
The fact that there are no refugees trying to pass through Greece’s and, particularly, Bulgaria’s land borders, which are not protected by any fence remains a puzzle. Obviously, someone stops them. Who else other than the Turkish state can that be?
It is also puzzling how an increasingly authoritarian state, that happens to put under arrest citizens of all ages because they have publicly criticized Erdogan, can not capture the traffickers or can not stop the selling of defective lifeboats and lifejackets that are responsible for the drowning of hundreds of people in the Aegean. Who is the one that does not stop them? It should not take a great deal of effort to guess. Apparently the Turkish state!
Turkey made an agreement with the EU, which it does not implement and to a large extent will not implement in the future, despite the optimism that seems to develop in Brussels after Tusk’s visit in Turkey and the March 7 meeting. This is because Turkey’s ultimate purpose is not to get into the EU; it goes against the belief of its neo-ottoman leaders. Turkey’s ultimate purpose is to use the refugee crisis in order to promote its aims and interests in Syria or, more precisely, to salvage what it can be salvaged from its tragically unsuccessful and bloody involvement in Syria.
Turkey has reached the point of even mocking its NATO partners, let alone the European Union. All that remains to anyone who may be genuinely interested in dealing with the problem is to bring the refugee issue in the UN Security Council. It is there that Turkey may face some of its opponents… It is only at the Security Council that can “break” the linkage Turkey is attempting to make between the refugee crisis and the future arrangements in Syria.
- A version of the text was first published in Greek at http://www.onalert.gr/stories/Hlias-kouskouvelhs-ayto-einai-to-paixnidi-ths-tourkias/48360
- Professor of International Relations, University of Macedonia, Greece