Turkey's southern neighbours are in a sorry state. Except the northern Iraqi Kurdistan, there is an open or hardly covert war in every area of the region. Almost all analysts agree upon the fact that the infamous Sykes-Picot agreement is over and the frontiers inherited from the aftermath of the First World War are not valid anymore.First of all, virtually all the agreements made during or after the World War I have created immense problems and tragedies throughout the history of 20th century. This is not limited to the former Ottoman provinces of the Middle East; however the demise of two central empires, Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottoman Empire should be seen as the victory of nation-state proponents or nationalism over inter-communalism. The populations of former empires never fully enjoyed political and social stability. Central Europe, the Balkans the Caucasus and the Middle East have been the focal points of constant instability and warfare. It was already visible back in the 1930s that the Sykes-Picot agreement and its like would not create any sustainable stability or cooperation between the newly formed nation-states. To think that today's' problems are a direct continuation of First World War arrangements is very far-fetched, to say the least.What is perhaps more preoccupying is the fact that in the Middle East, all possible divides and conflicts have existed during the 20th century – whether ideological, nationalistic, ethnic or religious.Today, not only has the statehood of the entire region been devastated, starting with Lebanon, then Iraq and ultimately Syria, but the only "ideology" that has survived remains the religious sectarian appurtenance. This very dangerous divide has mostly transcended all the remaining differences between political movements or ethnic groups; it is Sunnis against Shiites to the death.Turkey cannot play any positive role in the civil and bloody war tearing down the whole region, it has to remain as a "modern democratic state" where democratic rights and freedoms are not distributed according to religious appurtenance. In the short term, having a functioning democratic state and administration will not help extinguishing the immense fire set in Syria and Iraq. However, in the medium team, the only appealing model for the very unfortunate populations of this region is a functioning democracy of law abiding citizens. Neither Syria nor Iraq can stop the civil war and establish an acceptable modus vivendi for their population. It is too easy to say that Iraqis have to solve their problems themselves after totally destroying Iraqi statehood. It is also totally unacceptable to for non-democratic states such as Russia or Iran to remain active, taking sides, while accusing Turkey of having been instrumental in arming such-and-such faction. Turkish implication is visible only regarding the hosting of a million of refugees from Syria and an indeterminate number from Mosul and other Northern cities of Iraq. Now and then, news depicting a warlord being treated in a Turkish hospital appears in the national or international media. Due to the open frontier policy of the Turkish government, tens of thousands of refugees have been treated in Turkish hospitals along the border. Most of them have been saved, an important number passed away because they were brought over too late. News coverage has become totally biased, that should not discourage our allies from the EU to come and visit the Turkish efforts of relief very often and extend support. By support, Turkey does not mean finances, but staunch and steady support for our democracy, and reviving and taking seriously our accession negotiations. "A bon entendeur, salut," as the French would say...