President Erdogan and President Putin. Picture: Kremlin/ CC-BY 4.0
Is Erdogan blackmailing Europe again?
On March 5, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is planning to visit Istanbul. There she will talk about the situation in Syria together with the presidents of Turkey, Russia and France.
Published: February 28, 2020, 9:19 am
Turkish and Russian troops are stationed directly in Syria, with French special forces also on the ground. There is therefore no doubt that questions of military security in Syria are important for these countries.
But what does the German Chancellor have to do with this, since her major problems lie at home in Germany? Foreign analysts agree: Against the background of domestic political defeats, the German Chancellor is trying to present herself as an influential international actor and diplomat – but at what price?
On February 20, a spokesperson for the German government said that Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron had contacted Russian President Vladimir Putin to express their concern about the humanitarian situation in the Syrian region of the Idlib.
The two heads of government thus effectively sided with the Turkish President, who has been demanding for several weeks that Russia stop the Syrian armed forces in the Idlib region. For several months now, the Syrian army has been attacking the jihadist positions in this province. Idlib is considered the last stronghold of the Islamists in Syria.
But Italy is increasingly dissatisfied with Erdogan’s policy. Rome is outraged that Erdogan is not abiding by agreements in Syria – the Turkish ambassador in Rome has been summoned to the Italian Foreign Ministry, where he was told forthwith that such unilateral decisions were “unacceptable”.
The former Italian Deputy Prime Minister, Matteo Salvini, is also dissatisfied with Erdogan’s policy of active support for the radical Sunni Muslim Brotherhood abroad, which has been leading to the Islamisation and radicalisation of Europe – mainly because of uncontrolled mass migration.
Salvini described Erdogan as president of a bloody and Islamic regime. In October last year, Salvini said that the European Union should withdraw funding from Turkey immediately in order not to further promote Erdogan’s crimes.
Meanwhile, the Libyan government under ruler Fayiz Sarraj refuses to stem the flow of African migrants on its territory, preferring to “resettle” Africans to Europe. This was openly stated by the Libyan Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha during a meeting with the Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio in Tripoli: “The idea of settling immigrants, like all other issues concerning Libyan sovereignty, is rejected and not accepted by the Libyans.”
Due to the insecurity and chaos in Libya after its total collapse in 2011, the North African country became the preferred transit country for migrants hoping to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.
According to the “International Organization for Migration” (IOM), there are currently over 600 000 illegal immigrants in Libya who want to enter Europe.
Originally Italy supported the Libyan government under Sarraj, but in view of recent developments, the Italian government has been trying to play on two fronts: It is increasingly disappointed with Sarraj´s government and is inclined to support General Khalifa Haftar, Sarraj´s militarily successful challenger in Libya.
However, Italy continues to seek dialogue with the Sarraj government. Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio noted: “Italy will play a decisive role in any European decision. No one knows Libya like we do, no one knows it like Italy several hundred kilometers from its shores. There is a danger of terrorism that should not be underestimated – countries that ignore peace and continue to arm the parties on the ground. We cannot accept this.”
All rights reserved. You have permission to quote freely from the articles provided that the source (www.freewestmedia.com) is given. Photos may not be used without our consent.
Consider donating to support our work
Help us to produce more articles like this. FreeWestMedia is depending on donations from our readers to keep going. With your help, we expose the mainstream fake news agenda.
Keep your language polite. Readers from many different countries visit and contribute to Free West Media and we must therefore obey the rules in, for example, Germany. Illegal content will be deleted.
If you have been approved to post comments without preview from FWM, you are responsible for violations of any law. This means that FWM may be forced to cooperate with authorities in a possible crime investigation.
If your comments are subject to preview by FWM, please be patient. We continually review comments but depending on the time of day it can take up to several hours before your comment is reviewed.
We reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive, contain slander or foul language, or are irrelevant to the discussion.
Europe
Drug lab unearthed at NATO nuclear base
BurkelA clandestine drug laboratory has been discovered on a military base in Belgium where NATO nuclear weapons are stored. The synthetic drug Ecstasy was being mass produced on a large scale at the site.
Globally the G7 are a minority
ElmauIt is repeatedly claimed that the G7 are the “most important industrialized countries” and thus generally the most important countries in the world. However, on closer inspection this contention is wrong.
Europe’s next drug hotspot
KievBefore the war, the Ukrainian police actively fought drug-related crime. Now the authorities have other priorities.
EU accession status for Ukraine – Brussels to tackle the impossible
Brussels/KievThe decision to grant Ukraine accession status raises numerous questions: Ukraine (and Moldova) were officially granted this status at the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday evening. This decision had been extremely controversial and contested for weeks. But all previous critics – above all Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, the Netherlands and France – have surprisingly caved in and have cleared the way for the two countries to join the EU.
‘Fiat money needed to hide Great Reset costs’
ViennaThe failure to put the financial system on a solid footing after the financial crisis in 2008, the pandemic and sanctions due to the Ukraine war, have ensured that the cards are finally being reshuffled.
Major setback for Transatlanticism: Italian Five Star Movement splits over Ukraine policy
RomeIn Italy, the dispute over the Draghi government's Ukraine policy has led to a political earthquake: Foreign Minister Di Maio has resigned from his party, the Five Star Movement, after considerable squabbling over Ukraine.
Food from ground chicken bones?
HelsinkiAmong all the alarming reports about an impending food crisis, a Finnish company believes that it has found a way to incorporate bones into minced chicken, which reduces the meat's production cost and environmental impact. But will anyone want to eat it?
Majority of Europeans want peace
BrusselsEven if it is at the expense of Ukraine, 35 percent of Europeans prefer peace with Russia and only 22 percent support a continuation of the war until a Russian defeat. Beyond that, divisions are widening in the EU, threatening unity.
‘We must be prepared to use nuclear weapons’
BerlinTough announcements by two European armies were made recently. "For credible deterrence, we need both the means and the political will to implement nuclear deterrence if necessary," said German Air Force Chief Ingo Gerhartz (56) on Friday at the Kiel International Seapowers Symposium.
