One knows how bazaars work in Turkey, said the foreign minister of the small EU country on Tuesday in the ZDF “Morgenmagazin”. “And sometimes the mentality, especially Erdogan’s, is also shaped by it.” The official of the 630,000-inhabitant state insults the “Sultan” from the country on the Bosphorus as a bazaar trader!
Sweden and Finland are striving to join the western military alliance as a result of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Erdogan had signaled that Turkey was critical of such an admission. He accused both countries of supporting “terrorist organizations” such as the banned Kurdish Workers’ Party PKK.
In his opinion, Turkey is not concerned with the Kurdish question at all, but with the delivery of F16 fighter jets. “I think Erdogan wants to increase the price and wants to put pressure on that to happen.” This is a dangerous game.
Erdoğan had repeatedly brought himself into play as a peace mediator in the war between Russia and Ukraine. Turkey has already hosted an unsuccessful peace summit. Turkey’s Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said three weeks ago that another meeting – this time with Presidents Putin and Zelenskyi “is imminent” – but so far it has not happened.
