Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been calling the world's attention to Bashar Assad's atrocities for many years. Unfortunately, Eastern Ghouta is not the first place in Syria where chemical weapons have been used. Thousands of Syrian civilians including children have been murdered by the dictator Assad, who is a puppet of the fascist Baath Party. The world has remained unable to give the required response to this massacre so far while the U.S. and the EU have only issued tepid condemnations. Were it not for Turkey's total fight against terror in Syrian territory, Daesh would still be ongoing its atrocities along with Assad. Turkey has been the one ending the Daesh terror while the international coalition against Daesh remained ineffective. Also, the Baath Party only fears Turkey's determined stance in Syria today. The country will not attain peace as long as the Baath Party and Assad maintain their positions.
Turkey reminds Russia and Iran of the success of its counterterror activities on every occasion. It is obvious that Russia is not pleased with the situation in Syria as it cannot afford to lose Assad given that Russia's most significant bases in the Mediterranean are located in Syria.
But all of a sudden, the U.S. and some Middle Eastern and eastern Mediterranean countries it allies with decided to take military action. Did the news of chemical attack coming from Eastern Ghouta really affect this decision? It is hard to believe this. The EU public, who is very sensitive toward the issues of conflict, should also question the latest developments.
President Erdoğan has called them into action against the use of chemical weapons in Syria for years. But for some reason, all the countries Erdoğan addressed, particularly the U.S., remained indifferent to the issue. Erdoğan reiterated his call for numerous times to former U.S. President Barack Obama and incumbent President Donald Trump. But neither did take action.
The U.S. Navy recently issued a written statement noting the Harry Truman Carrier Strike Group would leave Naval Station Norfolk and head to the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas. The statement goes on to read that guided missile cruiser "USS Normandy," and guided missile destroyers "USS Arleigh Burke," "USS Bulkeley," "USS Forrest Sherman" and "USS Farragut" will join the group later on. So, the U.S. mobilized a great military force yesterday. We also learned that German Frigate FGS Hessen will accompany the strike group that embarked on its route with 6,500 personnel and a number of war crafts from the First Air Command.
Russian warships and war crafts in the eastern Mediterranean are currently in alarm. Israel, who regards the eastern Mediterranean as its own and creates troubles constantly, must also be taken into account. France is also maintaining a busy traffic of contacts regarding the region and preparing to take on a more active military role in the region. Britain, meanwhile, is ready for action with its bases and jets in Cyprus.
The eastern Mediterranean will get heated for the upcoming days. Is the U.S.' sole purpose to intervene in Assad due to the latest chemical attack? Or is it concerned about Russia? The alliances Russia aptly formed in the region have been disturbing the U.S. and its allies for a while. Do they aim to weaken Russia with this intervention? The agent crisis between Britain and Russia must also be noted in this scope. Do they target Iran and Russia through Syria? I doubt that Turkey might also be among their targets even though we are NATO allies. There are also doubts that the U.S. might be eyeing the energy sources in Cyprus.
In a nutshell, the region gets heated. The Turkish public is observing the developments carefully. It is clear that the underlying motivation is not supporting the people targeted by chemical weapons. The Turkish public is aware of this fact. Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) are determined to protect their own interests in the eastern Mediterranean.
Therefore, our European friends must pay attention to these words of Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar: "A fait accompli will not be allowed in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean. All kinds of measures are being taken determinedly to that end." Turkey has proven its determination on the issue over the past couple of weeks, and will not abstain from proving it again when necessary. For this reason, it would be useful to note the following words of Akar:
"All the activities carried out as part of Operation Olive Branch set an example to other countries in the world both in military and humanitarian terms. The operations are under the framework of U.N. Security Council resolutions, international law and principles of counterterrorism and respect for Syria's territorial integrity."
"For the Turkish Armed Forces, civilians, environment, historical and cultural artifacts are inviolable. All the required measures must be taken to guarantee the security of civilians in the region. No concessions will be made in the sustaining of peace and security." Akar sums up Turkey's Syria policy and sensitivity to the eastern Mediterranean with these words.
Hopefully, we will not have to go through undesired developments in the region.