Turkey has always been a trusted and loyal ally not only for the United States but for the NATO alliance as a whole. Whenever the West needed Turkey's active support, Turkey has been there with all its resources.
When help was needed in the Korean War, Turkey was there making huge sacrifices to help the Americans out of a great crisis even with all its meager financial resources.
When they needed Turkey in the Bosnian crisis, Turkey was there. The U.S. needed us in Afghanistan, Turkey was again there and still is there. Turkey has always helped the U.S. during all the stages of the Iraqi crisis.
So no one can really question Turkey's loyalty or sincere friendship. Turkey has no intention of turning its back on the U.S. or any of its allies as long as its vital interests are not fatally threatened.
But today is a different day. We see with great disappointment that those we sincerely trusted are actually cooperating with secessionist terrorists who have vowed to destroy our country.
The Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its military wing the People's Protection Units (YPG) are clearly the Syrian extensions of the PKK terrorist group and are getting their orders from the PKK headquarters in the Qandil mountains of northern Iraq. American journalists have visited their offices and command centers in northern Iraq and they have also come to the conclusion that the PYD is simply the PKK in Syria with the portraits of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan hanging on their walls.
So it was little surprise for anyone that a U.S. State Department team recently met with the PKK leaders in the Syrian city of Raqqa last week and discussed joint actions.
That clearly showed direct links between the U.S. and the PKK, a terrorist group that is on the wanted list of the U.S.
The U.S. has been heavily arming these terrorists, training them, providing them with intelligence. These are the terrorists who want to destroy Turkey, a friend and ally of the U.S. Is there ANY logic in this behavior?
We were told the U.S.'s relationship with the PYD and the YPG was temporary and that once the fight against the Daesh terrorists was completed this relationship would end. But that did not happen and the U.S. has continued providing brand new weapons to the terrorists.
So what would any sensible and realistic American think under these circumstances? Would they blame Turkey for reacting to this situation and declaring it will take matters into its own hands to finish off these terrorists across its border?
Turkey remains a loyal and trusted friend and ally of the U.S. and the West. But that does not mean we will accept being treated as sacrificial animals just because a couple of American generals want to embark on an adventure in the Middle East.
You can't declare you are establishing an army of terrorists in another sovereign state across the border to Turkey and get away with it. You can't protect terrorists armed to the teeth when they pose a serious threat to Turkey's security.
This is the time for those who believe in Turkish-American friendship in Turkey and America to raise their voices and put an end to the current mess. The U.S. needs Turkey in a region where inexperienced princes and kings are making fatal mistakes and juntas and totalitarian regimes are unable to address the needs of their people, thus creating a very volatile and dangerous environment.
Besides all this, Turkey is also testing its growing friendly ties with Russia. It is no secret that while Turkey has served notice to the U.S. that it will destroy the PKK in Afrin in northern Syria, this also means it needs Russia's active cooperation to be able to use the north Syrian airspace during this operation. This is where the growing friendly ties between Ankara and Moscow will be tested.
