DW – Erdogan – Between a rock and a hard place

Another icing on the cake of Athens that irritates Ankara is the defense agreement that will be signed tomorrow by Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias with his American counterpart Blinken. As much as the agreement does not include a base in Skyros, something that Athens wanted, the Erdogan government is worried and is not hiding it.

The agreement with France and the purchase of the Rafale fighters in combination with the French frigates that lock down the airspace over the Aegean, push Ankara to look around. Especially now that the unspoken US embargo on the S400 is limiting Turkey’s options.

Ankara has now asked the United States, with the money it has paid for the F35, to buy 40 new F16s and upgrade 80 of its current fleet to Block 70 standard. Washington’s response will determine the further course of relations. of the two countries.

Syrian Kurds remain the thorn in Turkish-American relations

Of course, the central issue that brought relations to the point where they are now is not just the S400 but the difference of opinion about the Kurds in Syria. The issue is now openly debated following Biden’s letter to Congress calling for an extension of the state of emergency in Syria for another year. In this letter, he characterizes the actions of the Turkish army inside Syria as dangerous.

A move that angered Ankara and Foreign Minister Cavusoglu was directly against the United States, saying that they wholeheartedly support the YPG, even though they know that it is one and the same with the PKK.

At the same time, Tayyip Erdogan is trapped inside Turkey. Developments in the economy are hampering the conditions under which he will run towards the 2023 elections, and destabilizing the lira. The dollar now costs nine Turkish lira.

Fierce opposition

The opposition, which for more than a decade has been trying to push Erdogan on the path of claiming “the islands occupied by Greece”, is now pressuring him because Oruc Reis is not currently conducting research in the areas of the Turkish-Libyan pact but on a Turkish continental shelf north of Cyprus.

In a statement, the Ministry of Defense responded to the objections, publishing maps and the assurance that it would not allow it to be done and would preserve the rights and interests of the country in the Eastern Mediterranean.

An opportunity now, according to Ankara, is a possible Erdogan-Biden meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit, according to Ibrahim Kalin.

If no window of cooperation is found with the US, a further turn to Russia will mean new adventures, also inregional relations.