The foreign minister of Kyrgyzstan, Ruslan Kazakbaev, was in the capital of Azerbaijan on July 2, where he proposed a strategic partnership between the two nations, both members of NATO’s Partnership for Peace military program and of the soon-to-be-expanding Turkic Council. (Russia also touts a strategic partnership with Azerbaijan.)
In April Kyrgyzstan was involved in a deadly border clash with Tajikistan and at the time the Turkic Council met and announced, “The Turkic Council will continue to maintain close contact with brotherly Kyrgyzstan, a founding member of the Turkic Council.”
The Turkic Council, the embodiment of present-day pan-Turkism/pan-Turanism, currently consists of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, and has made overtures to countries as diverse as Afghanistan, Hungary, Turkmenistan and Ukraine. It is a Turkish initiative or, more accurately since the Shusha Declaration of June 15, that of the Turco-Azeri “one nation, two states” pan-Turkic entity.
Turkey’s defense minister, Hulusi Akar, recently visited Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
In the visit of the Kyrgyz foreign minister to Baku on July 2, he proposed, according to Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, an alliance that many observers have anticipated since the dissolution of the Soviet Union thirty years ago: the consolidation of a bloc from the Black Sea to the Chinese border, one under Turkish and as such NATO domination (although neither would be a formal partner). In his words: “We propose the establishment of a cooperation platform between Central Asian and Southern Caucasus countries in 5+3 format [Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan + Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia]. We propose to make the dialogue between Central Asian and south Caucasian countries more active.”
All eight countries are former Soviet republics. All eight are members of NATO’s Partnership for Peace. Four – Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan – are also members of the moribund Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization, which is increasingly resembling the Robert Louis Stevenson story aptly titled The Suicide Club.
The immediate effects of such an organization would be the culmination of Russia’s quarantine in former Soviet space (once Belarus is dispensed with), Turkish-dominated oil, natural gas, railroad and mineral transport corridors, the opening up of the Caspian Sea Basin to the West and the diminution of Iranian and Russian influence in that region. That enterprise was adumbrated, and heartily endorsed, by Zbigniew Brzezinski in regard to the neo-Ottoman geopolitical blueprint of now former Turkish foreign and prime minister Ahmet Davutoğlu in his 2012 volume Strategic Vision: America and the Crisis of Global Power. (Page 136*)
But behind those objectives, as the Shusha Declaration of Turkey and Azerbaijan foreshadows, is a military-security bloc dominated by Turkey and supported by NATO.
If the new Bucharest Nine format (Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia), the realization of the century-old Intermariam project to cordon Russia off from Europe, is the vertical line, the proposed 5 +3 bloc will be the horizontal one in the West’s pincer movement.
*On the international scene, the increasingly modern and basically secular Turkey of today is beginning to attain a regional preeminence geographically derived from its imperial Ottoman past. Turkey’s new foreign policy, shaped by its geopolitically minded Foreign Minister (Ahmet Davutoğlo, the author of the concept of “Strategic Depth”), is premised on the notion that Turkey is a regional leader in the areas once part of the Ottoman Empire, including the Levant, North Africa, and Mesopotamia….Davutoğlo’s plan posits that Turkey should exploit its current socioeconomic dynamism – in 2010 it ranked as the world’s seventeenth-largest economy – to rebuild relationships that existed historically but faded during the twentieth century because of Kemalist concentration on internal secularization and inculcation of a specifically Turkish nationalism. (2012)
Lately — a veritable Turkey obsession! Bad Turkey, doing all these things to benefit NATO. While US and others simultaneously target Turkey for sanctions. Target inside stability of Turkey through various identity protests, funding Kurdish insurgency. Western mainstream authors rejoice anytime something bad happens to Turkey, and anytime a chance presents itself for badmouthing evil Erdogan.
So is Erdogan doing all these things to please NATO? Or to shore up Central Asia by adding strength to Russia-China led Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Without China and Russia — Turkey’s economy would have collapsed long time ago.
So, which one is it? It cannot be both.
Just one comment on the lengthy quote from Davutoglu reign as Foreign Minister.
In 2012 Turkey under Erdogan was still ruling with the split government — his faction and pro-European and pro-NATO faction in his own party. The split was obvious when Erdogan put in application for SCO membership, while Davutoglu pushed for anti-Assad policy and worked with Europe to admit Syrian, Iraqi, etc refugees and migrants. In 2013, Turkey was accepted into SCO with four chapters signed. In 2014, in spite of pro-Ukrainian rhetoric Turkey did not admit more naval ships than allowed under Montreux Convention. Neither it does today for Sea Breaze exercises.
The real trouble for Erdogan faction came ehen Erdogan had to vacate Prime Minister spot and run for President. Davutoglu became Prime Minister in November 2015. The same day Russian plane was shot. Erdogan was sidelined with limited presidential authority, and Davutogllu — despite Erdogan party holding veto proof majority — dragged passing constitutional amendments to strengthen presidential powers. Erdogan went on offensive exposing Davutoglu’s deal with EU and Germany as scam (.lies about visa free travel to Germany, billions for refugees, etc). Davutoglu and his faction in Government resigned in May 2016, and Erdogan faction took power. Within ONE day apologized to Russia and started investigation. It netted a Turkish general at Incirlik American base.
But the last chance for pro-NATO wing was an attempted coup in July same year. Itvwas really not a military coup as military by far was in Erdogan not pro-NATO camp. The objective was to assassinate Erdogan, supposedly vacationing with his family. He was not there, and coup lost its main objective. Erdogan’s message to nation ended the coup, consisting of only few Air Force commanders.
After the attempted coup until today, Erdogan faction strengthened.
And ever since, coordination with Iran and Russia and China Eurasian policies strengthened.
We are here today debating Turkey’s intentions, even though Davutoglu attempted a comeback, but was thwarted by corruption charge.
Despite all the evidence of Eurasian orientation, and economic , financial, energy and developmental ties to China and Russia — we are presuming that all these activities Turkey is involved in is on behalf of NATO? Never on behalf of its own interests?
And the same NATO countries that are piling on sanctions on Turkey, including US?
Turkey is an important actor in Eurasian block, but constantly maligned and punished by West? Why? Poor Russia and China are naive and deluded?
Is this why we need to pile on pjeces of history that are misused to show Turkish perfidy?
Nobody is an angel, and it is a jungle out there. But I will not presume with such haste that Turkey is a villain.
I prefer evidence of my own eyes and available information. Daily drama is for distraction and Turkey is a master. But follow the trail of what really binds Turkey to its continental neighborhood.
Turkey has become a new obsession for a lot of Rssuophile authors and Rightwing white supremacists . Turkey if can reach out to Poland Hungary Bulgaria Georgia while emphasizing its Turkic roots and reiterating ethnic bonds with “Stan” will score something that is simply improbable and unthinkable either from the point of Russian nationalism or Western European internationalism . Set and fixed ideas make it difficult to evaluate and asses Turkish behaviors .
Armenian offensive was a jolt to the left and white supremacist because the default position of Muslim as victim of Christianity or of USA-UK did not hold up in 2020 conflicts.( Racism has many presentations ) Aremnia should have recognized the reality and respected the morality . It did not .
Russia can announce that it will protect Russian living in Latvia Lithuanai Rumania Kzakhstain ,China can express concern about Chinese living in Indonesia or Malaysia , USA can share its intelligence with the rest of the 5 eyes and can mount coordinated pressures on China or Russia but Turkey should behave differently .