Those who have been trying to belittle, criticize and exert pressure on Türkiye's foreign policy for years based on unfounded reasons have begun to watch Türkiye's rise with amazement. Even the West has given up hope on smear campaigns and began to accept the truth, albeit late.
To those wondering where this came from all of a sudden, one place to start is France. In the country of French President Emmanuel Macron – which anxiously observed our breakthroughs and investments in Africa in particular, and took advantage of the tension with Greece to put an obstacle in our path by rushing to support our neighbor with arms – the media is currently taking a sharp U-turn.
Even the daily Le Figaro, a French newspaper, which in the past had no problem saying “Erdoğan is having Neo-Ottomanist dreams,” brought its latest analysis on Türkiye to the pages with the headline: “How did President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's diplomacy make Türkiye indispensable on the international stage?” The article also said that Erdoğan “presents himself today as a peacemaker and a person who can establish dialogue with everyone.”
What really caught my attention is that Le Figaro might be the most striking example of a publication with anti-Türkiye views, but it is certainly not the only one. Europe, which did not refrain from maintaining a “you are either with us or against us” discourse, has begun to follow Türkiye's increasingly active role throughout the world and refers to Erdoğan as the “virtuoso of multipolarity.”
The press is also not indifferent to this change. Editorial stances have shifted and softened, biased articles were replaced with rational analyses. I used to hear comments from my Turkish friends living abroad who would say, “Europe and America are now ignoring both Türkiye and Erdoğan, they do not care anymore and unfortunately our country is not aware of this.”
Now, for the past several weeks I have been following the international press, and this is the current situation:
Financial Times: (United Kingdom) “Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said he is ready to support peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow after he met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Lviv.”
Knack: (Belgium) “After meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Lviv, Turkish President Erdoğan warned of the danger of a 'new Chernobyl.'”
De Telegraaf: (Holland) “Referring to the nuclear disaster in Ukraine in 1986, Erdoğan said, 'We do not want to see another Chernobyl.'”
Reuters: “Turkey doubles Russian oil imports, filling EU void.”
The perception of Türkiye is indeed changing, but why? What is going on, and what is triggering these changes? In my opinion, the West, which ignores the reality that there is no permanent state of friendship or enmity between countries, is in a state of amazement due to the changing balances. The “whatever we say goes” attitude did more harm than good to the European countries.
The countries that took a 100% anti-Russia stance in the Ukraine-Russia war undoubtedly did not expect Türkiye to act as a mediator in this conflict. Another thing they did not think of was that Türkiye could profit from this unusual policy.
“Erdoğan has the capacity to handle sensitive issues in different departments, unlike the Europeans who have completely frozen their relations with Putin over the Ukraine issue,” said Igor Delanoe, deputy director of the Franco-Russian analytical center Observo in Moscow. Great minds think alike!
As a result, Ankara, which managed the crisis well and maintained a very smart policy, both filled the EU's void by doubling Russia's oil imports and played a role in overcoming the global food crisis caused by the war with the “grain corridor” agreement.
The point that has been reached is clear. Türkiye, which is the only country that has assumed the role of mediator in the Russia-Ukraine war and is becoming increasingly stronger in Africa, is refusing to simply play a small part and is instead taking the leading role. In order to do this, Türkiye does not cease to be a part of the Western bloc, contrary to the claims of many in the opposition. It just prefers to diversify its alliances, which brings new advantages every step of the way.
Whether you accept it or not, in the new world order leaders who do not slam the door even when interests diverge and who are open to dialogue will rise, while countries that follow outdated concepts will continue to bleed. The West has begun to realize this, and I wish the same for those whose who unconditionally criticize whatever the current government does.
Every segment and every viewpoint should be open to justified criticism, this is how it should be and there is no other way. But you have to give credit where credit is due because insisting something hasn't happened when it has happened is the biggest threat to our homeland, our future and our survival.
