Turkey’s Mideast role ‘a dangerous fantasy’

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy chair Faruk Loğoğlu (L). AA Photo

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy chair Faruk Loğoğlu has slammed Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu for saying Turkey has a pioneering role in the new Middle East, calling this view a “dangerous fantasy.”

“I am only smiling at this. I interpret this as a fantasy. I wouldn’t have a word to say if it was a safe fantasy, but it is a dangerous fantasy. The Turkish foreign minister, who cannot manage the foreign policy of Turkey, saying that ‘we will be pioneering the change in the Middle East’ is disrespectful to the Arab nations,” Loğoğlu told journalists on April 27. The CHP is organizing an international conference called

“Changing Seasons: The Arab People’s March for Democracy and Freedom” in Istanbul on April 28 and 29. CHP deputies Loğoğlu and Gürsel Tekin organized a press conference ahead of the conference in Istanbul. Loğoğlu, a retired ambassador, harshly criticized the approach of the ruling party to regional affairs. “First they have to manage Turkey’s own foreign policy. We are hostile to Armenia, we are having troubled days with Iran and Iraq, we are at the brink of a war with Syria, we are exchanging threats with Israel and we are threatening Greek Cyprus. What is right about this foreign policy line?”
Loğoğlu also slammed the government for hosting members of the opposition Free Syrian Army in Turkey, saying it is against international law and regulations. “Turkey has taken a one-sided approach to the Syrian case from day one. The Turkish government has excluded the regime directly and positioned itself on the side of not only the political figures of the opposition, but also military figures of the opposition. Facilitating the military arm of the opposition which aims to destroy the regime of a country is against international law and regulations,” Loğoğlu said. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is dragging Turkey into war, Loğoğlu said. “It should not be Turkey who is triggering the conflicts in Syria by taking sides. The attitude of the [ruling AKP] government is wrong. It is also contrary to good, neighborly relations,” Loğoğlu added.