Syrian policy: at whatever cost?

There is an important development that will vitally affect the future of our children and grandchildren.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan again challenged some “people.”

He challenged these “people” on our behalf and told them: “No matter what the cost would be, we will not let a state be formed there.”

I could have read this as just another “bullying.” But this is not the case this time. Although we don’t know what Erdoğan, whose presidential ambitions have been dashed, can do, we can feel it...

Therefore, I want to ask Mr. President, using my right as a citizen:

- As the cost will be paid by the citizens of this country, what is this cost?

- For whom and what will we be paying this cost?

The nation of this country has shown what kind of costs it can pay when it is required, as shown at Gallipoli and the War of Liberation.

We are ready to play whatever necessary cost for our country. 

But tell us, Mr. President:

Will we be paying this cost for the ambitions and stupidities of the past three years?

We paid dearly in the course of these past three years

We ask this question because we paid dearly in the course of the past three years. 

-There are two million Syrians in our country. We host them with our taxes.

-People call Turkey “terrorist.” We all individually pay for that.

-Our tourism is in a terrible state this year. The nearly five million who make their living from tourism are paying the cost.

-And the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which terrifies the whole world, has brought a hell worse than Afghanistan to our border. Not only us but the whole world is paying for this.

Are you aware we have no ambassadors in 8 countries?

And we know these very well:

- The role of our failed policy in Syria is a huge part in this disaster...

- Our policy on Egypt has gone bankrupt...

- We are trying to reconcile with Israel but we know that it can go off its course at any moment with an iftar speech.

- We first challenged Iran, than went hand in hand but there is no outcome...

- In eight countries our ambassadors were either called back to Ankara or declared a persona non grata. Three are members of the European Union.

When we have such picture in front of us, to what degree does it make sense to voice a challenge that can make Turkey enter a war?


Will the parliament, which refrained from entering Iraq, opt to enter the Syrian war?

Now we know very well that the thing that slid us into the swamp is unfortunately the fact that our foreign policy has become victim of personal ambitions and internal politics.

The elections have shown that the people do not approve of this foreign policy. 

Therefore, if Turkey is going to bully like so and enter a war, it is not the old architects of this policy but Turkey’s parliament that should make this decision.

Some will recall the motion that was endorsed by the parliament. That motion was not about “whatever the cost it takes.”

We all know that if the Turkish army were to enter Syrian soil out of a loss of marbles, we will be facing not only the Arab world but Russia, Iran and Europe.

Labelled as terrorist because of ISIL, we will then be called occupiers.

Let’s get our senses back. The place this issue is to be debated is the parliament, where more than 90 percent of the voters are represented. The parliament that carries the honor of not entering the second Gulf War should carry the responsibility and honor of the decision on a war in Syria.