85764 - Transcription: Turkey as a pseudo mediator in the Middle East

N. Lygeros
Translated from the Greek by Athina Kehagias

With all that which is happening in the Middle East, there are many who are wondering what their position should be and how they ought to examine all this data, because they may not obtain the historical background. The first thing we can say before going into the historical background is that Turkey makes things much easier. In what sense? We in actual fact see a President of Turkey, who is trying at all costs to make contact with Hamas, to be seen as the one protecting the people of Palestine because he has a special relationship with Hamas and who can also play a role in the negotiations. Turkey has done exactly the same as we know with Nagorno-Karabakh and we saw the results with Azerbaijan and that with the absence of Russia. In actual fact Erdogan is trying to get his hands on a case which does not concern him, he is not presenting it in the way he would like to, because, let’s not forget, the entire region was under Ottoman occupation for quite a long period, which was liberated by England and that is why these states were also created. Therefore, Erdogan presents himself as an advocate of the matter, but he hides what he really aims for. He wants to bring to surface a neo-Ottoman side, he wants to highlight the past of the Ottoman Empire, but in this case he avoids to do so, simply in order to present himself as an ally in a case that does not directly concern him and actually makes him anguished, because on the other side he needed contacts in regards to the financial level. The point of the matter is that his background is always the same. Therefore, it is quite clear that the same person who is against Greece, against Cyprus, against Thrace, against the occupied territories, who is pro expansionism, is now presenting himself as a diplomat, a negotiator with Hamas, projecting the point that he has special alliances. We ought to understand that from the moment we play in such a manner, especially when we are in Greece and we can see these things, we understand what is valid, what is the diplomatic process, and what is the truth in regards to this case. Consequently, we finally know, at least from Turkey’s side, what is the position taken by her and we can see the consequences.