Last round conflict between EU and Turkey
-
Alaina
- . October 14, 2020
- . Update: October 14, 2020 7:27 pm
On Tuesday, the Turkish foreign minister furiously rejected the European Union’s requests to withdraw troops from north-eastern Syria, accusing EU countries of double standards and trying to hold a conference in Ankara on human rights and international law.In a tense joint press conference in Ankara, which followed lengthy talks, Swedish Foreign Minister Anne Linde and her Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu openly expressed their differences.
Linde reiterated the EU appeals to Turkey to withdraw troops sent to north-east Syria a year ago against Kurdish fighters she considers terrorists. “The strong position of the EU remains the same. We continue to urge Turkey to withdraw,” the Swedish minister said, urging Cavusoglu to take constructive steps towards democracy and human rights as already requested by the EU on several occasions.
Minister Cavusoglu, for his part, observed that the EU cannot urge Turkey to withdraw from north-western Syria because if it did so, another 3 million refugees would arrive in Turkey and then in European countries. In a provocative and somewhat non-diplomatic tone, Cavusoglu then asked why Sweden does not defend the rights of Turkish Cypriots.Linde replied that as a “guest” she would not engage in a dispute, expressing her hope that everyone in Turkey will have a chance to express their views with the same frankness that the minister used. An irritated Cavusoglu said that everyone in Turkey is free to express his opinions, “but we don’t have these double standards,” he said. A lie clear to everyone.
Starting in 2018, with the general elections in Turkey, Erdogan’s regime established a frightening repression regime. Thousands of journalists, activists, international observers, and political opponents have been arrested on false charges such as terrorism, which sentenced dozens of innocent people to death who left themselves to starve. Erdogan, since the beginning of his mandate, has transformed a democratic and modern country into an Islamic state where personal freedoms are at constant risk. Attacks against religious minorities have increased, as well as against the LGBT community.
The police arrested, tortured, and killed hundreds of journalists who had documented the collaboration between Erdogan’s officers and terrorist groups in Syria, including Daesh. The judiciary was also brought back to a hundred years ago. The neutral judges have been replaced by Erdogan’s ass-lickers who espouse the same extremist views as the Muslim Brotherhood.
From the international point of view, Sultan Erdogan has ignited numerous disputes with his European neighbors. It invaded the territorial waters of Greece and Crete. It has launched exploration activities in the eastern Mediterranean, damaging the interests of third countries, including France, Italy, Egypt, and Israel. Erdogan made fun of international law by sending Syrian mercenaries to Libya, including jihadists, minors, and inexperienced fighters. He has circumvented the UN resolutions on the arms embargo on Libya.
Ankara has also disappointed all its allies by making fun of them. First, with Russia, evading pacts in Syria on many occasions, then with NATO, leading to a clash in the Mediterranean with French ships and the European Irini Mission. Finally, he participated in the Berlin Conference on Libya, pledging to withdraw his forces but never kept his promises. Recently, also the United States has raised its voice against Erdogan. And his hostile attitude towards his neighbors, as well as for his support for Iran against Tel Aviv.
