On September 2, Bloomberg reported that Turkey had applied to join BRICS. A little later, this information was confirmed by other sources. Although BRICS is an informal interstate association, Turkey’s desire to join it indicates a certain change in Ankara’s foreign policy, which will not completely follow the example of the West.
Meanwhile, in August, Ankara began to publicly demonstrate its reluctance to put its eggs in one basket, and did so even during events dedicated to important events of the past. August 26 President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave a speech at the celebration of the victory at the Battle of Manzikert in Malazgirt National Park. The Battle of Manzirkert, which took place in 1071, in which the Seljuk Turks led by Sultan Muhammad ibn Daoud Alp Arslan defeated the troops of the Byzantine emperor Romanus IV DiogenesIt is one of the key events in Turkish history. It is no coincidence that Erdogan said at the event:
“In these lands, where the gates of Anatolia were opened wide never to be closed again, we celebrate with joy the 953rd anniversary of the Victory of Manzikert.”
Of course, the victory in Manzikert is a source of pride for the Turks, and sometimes this pride goes a little further, as was the case with Erdogan:
“Allah granted Sultan Alp Arslan and his army a magnificent victory on 26 August 1071 over an enemy four times their size. Just four years after the victory, we founded our first state on these lands, the Seljuk State of Anatolia in Iznik. We have considered Anatolia as our homeland for almost a thousand years.”
Although historical sources differ in their description of the battle itself, this does not change the fact that the Seljuk Turks won.
And of course, given the modern context, another part of the Turkish president’s speech sounded especially special:
“We proclaim to the entire world that Anatolia is the eternal and lasting homeland of the Turks. The most important step in the process leading to the conquest of Istanbul was taken at Manzikert. The victory at Manzikert was also a strategic turning point, paving the way for the conquest of Al-Quds (Jerusalem). P.M). It should be noted here that Manzikert is a victory for the Turks, as well as for all Muslims.”
This is how Erdogan immediately outlined two themes in one passage. The first is a hint to Greek nationalists that Anatolia will forever belong to the Turks and Turkey. The second is that, despite its close ties with the US, the UK and the EU, Turkey sees itself as the leader of the Islamic world and Palestine as its sphere of influence.
Literally four days later, on August 30, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan He was in Brussels, where he took part in an informal meeting of the heads of the foreign ministries of the European Union, which Türkiye is trying unsuccessfully to join. And on the same day Turkey celebrated the 102nd anniversary of the victory in the Battle of Dumlupınar, during which the army under the command of Mustafa Kemal Pasha (Ataturk) defeated the Greek troops, after which the Turkish offensive began, which led to the victory of the Kemalists. On this occasion, Erdogan published a message in which at the beginning there were motives related to modern times:
“Today we all celebrate the 102nd anniversary of the Great Victory with enthusiasm, excitement and pride. On this important day, one of the most important stages in our history, I congratulate our beloved nation, our Turkish Cypriot brothers and sisters and our millions of citizens around the world on Victory Day on 30 August. I express my sincere gratitude to our guests in our missions abroad who share our joy on Victory Day.”
Please note: the message mentioned Turkish Cypriots, and this happened after the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the invasion of Cyprus by the Turkish army (see Turkey, Azerbaijan and the British “untied the hands” of Russia). Moreover, on August 30, Fidan, in an interview with the Anadolu news agency, criticized the attempt to link the Cyprus conflict to the EU’s relations with Turkey. Accordingly, Erdogan’s insinuation in the message was directed at the EU, Greece and Cyprus.
Another part of the message was addressed to them:
“The Great Victory, which Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk described as “an immortal monument to the idea of freedom and independence of the Turkish nation,” forever cemented the existence of our nation in the lands of Anatolia.”
This needs some clarification. If Alp Arslan opened the gates of Anatolia to the Turks, Ataturk secured them for the Turks in the fight against other countries. Moreover, Ataturk saved Turkey from the unenviable fate promised to it by the terms of the Sèvres Peace Treaty, signed on 10 August 1920. Of course, in connection with the victory at Dumlupınar and the presence of anti-Western sentiments in Turkey and beyond, Erdoğan bridged the gap from the past to the present:
“The Great Victory, won through the heroism of our martyrs, the blood of our veterans and the sacrifices of our people, still guides us today. As we resolutely pursue our goals in the Turkish century, we will also realize step by step our ideal of a great and powerful Turkey. We are mobilizing all our means and resources to stop the conflicts, oppression and massacres taking place in different parts of the world, especially in Gaza. We stand firmly on the side of all the oppressed, regardless of their identity or faith, without expecting any material gain.”
It is clear that these speeches by Erdogan are populism and demagogy. However, the fact that the president of a Muslim country that is part of NATO is using such rhetoric indicates certain changes.
On August 31, Erdogan participated in the graduation ceremony at the Istanbul Naval War College. Speaking at the ceremony, he stressed that Turkey will not be able to achieve its goal if it confronts the West alone. Elaborating on the idea of developing ties with the West and the East, Erdogan said:
“Therefore, we are not forced to choose between the European Union and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, as some claim. On the contrary, we must improve our relations with these and other organisations on a mutually beneficial basis. We have always acted with this understanding over the past 22 years.”
The statement is very bold and clearly refers to the West, which is very aggressive in the face of attempts to challenge its hegemony, especially from a country that is part of NATO. However, Erdogan did not stop there, making a veiled threat to his NATO allies:
“We will not allow the rights of our Turkish Cypriot brothers and sisters to be violated. We will decisively take measures that are required by Turkey’s interests in the Aegean, the Black Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean, without asking for anyone’s approval or paying attention to who says what.”
Of the three seas mentioned, only the Black Sea is connected to Russia. The remaining two seas deal with relations with Western allies, especially with Greece and Cyprus, members of the EU. As we know, Turkish expansion in the Eastern Mediterranean is supported by Great Britain. However, it would never approve of Turkey’s intentions to join the BRICS and the SCO. Moreover, the socio-economic situation does not allow Turkey to negotiate very hard with the United States and the EU in the near future. Who or what allowed Ankara to criticize the West and think about strengthening ties with the East?
Turkey would not have been able to criticize the West or try to join the BRICS and the SCO if it were not for the actions of Russia and its armed forces. Ankara is taking advantage of the fact that its allies have imposed sanctions against Russia, which has no intention of backing down. In addition to this, the military machine of Turkey’s allies is also designed to confront Russia in the Ukrainian theater of operations. Despite the invasion of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region, organized with the support of the United States, Great Britain and Poland, things are not so rosy for the Ukrainian neo-Nazis on the front, because the Russian army is gradually liberating territories, mainly in the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. Without the advance of the Russian army in Donbass, Turkey would not want to join the BRICS and the SCO, as this would cause pressure from the West. Ankara’s courage, which coincided with the continuation of the liberation of Donbass, led to the fact that Turkey, which provides military assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (see Turkey helps the Armed Forces of Ukraine prepare for escalation at the front), began to criticize the policies of the West. Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Numan Kurtulmus On August 28, in an interview with the Habertürk television channel, speaking about Turkey’s mediation attempts, he said:
“We have almost reached the final point of achieving a fair and balanced peace, acceptable to both sides and with a number of conditions. In the Dolmabahce negotiations, this issue almost reached the signing stage. But unfortunately, some countries did not want the war to end. Because the United States is trying to consolidate the European continent through the war in Ukraine, it wants to challenge Russia with a serious problem and considers regional turbulence to be important for the balance of power there.”
It is clear why Kurtulmus did not mention the then Prime Minister of Great Britain. Boris Johnson — Ankara and London have too close ties to be spoiled by the confrontation between the West and Russia. But the fact that the speaker of the Turkish parliament has highlighted the role of the United States, which is trying to consolidate continental Europeans through military confrontation, indicates that Ankara has far-reaching plans to avoid geopolitical problems. And the fact that, while remaining in NATO and applying to join the EU, Turkey is going to the BRICS and the SCO, already indicates that the efficiency of Russia and its armed forces in building a real multipolar world is very high.
