Turkey’s responsibilities over the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles Straits that connect the Black Sea to the Mediterrean also give it a key role in the crisis. [...] More importantly, since the Obama Administration, the US has not been willing to commit resources to the 5 All of this means that when the security environment in the Black Sea region is jeopardized, it will hurt Turkey more than other nations beyond the region Middle East and Black Sea regions within the framework of its objective of pivoting towards the Asia-Pacific to counter China. [...] In the event of war, Turkey has the right to close the passage of all warships through the straits except for the warships of Black Sea powers returning to their bases. [...] In order for the current Turkish government to be brought on board, it would want to see progress made in Turkey’s purchase of F-35 jets, Turkey’s process of accession to the EU 8 The military operations in Syria, assistance to Azerbaijan in the Nagorna- Karabakh conflict and strategic deals with Russia have all been a part of this trend or the extradition of Gulen and others deemed responsible fo. [...] It is an indication of the confidence of the conflicting parties in Turkey as well as an important achievement of Turkish foreign policy 9 As a major Black Sea power with vested interests in the region Turkey has a lot to lose from a further escalation of the war and a lot to gain from its possible success in restoring peace and diplomacy.
- Pages
- 13
- Published in
- Turkey
