Erdogan’s Expansionist Policy Angers the EU
Turkish expansionism is a theme throughout their news this week.
The Turkish parliament approved a peacekeeping force last night that will assist the Russian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh. The forces are tasked with watching and inspecting a ceasefire between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The deployment should last 1 year. İsmet Yılmaz, the head of the Turkish Defence Commission, claimed that the Turkish presence would give and “element of trust for Azerbaijan and other parties”. Yılmaz also claimed that the conflict had resulted in a “historic victory” for Azerbaijan and Turkey.
Ersin Tatar, right, the elected leader of Northern Cyprus, sat with President Erdogan, left, during his recent visit. Photo Credit: AFP News
President Erdogan visited Northern Cyprus this week. The visit is highly controversial as talks between the divided island discussing reunification have failed to produce and agreement. On his visit Erdogan stated he believed a two-state solution should be the aim of the negotiations. Northern Cyprus has been occupied by Turkey since 1974 and is Turkish speaking. The last UN-sponsored peace talks failed in 2017 and rising tensions parallel tensions between the EU and Turkey.
Tensions with the EU have risen after they threatened to impose sanctions on Turkey next month over its oil and gas explorations in the Eastern Mediterranean. This threat comes after months of disputes over the presence of Turkish exploratory vessels in disputed waters.
Sources
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-parliament-gives-nod-to-karabakh-troop-deployment-160131
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/16/turkey-seeks-approval-to-deploy-peacekeepers-in-azerbaijan
https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2020/11/13/what-does-ersin-tatars-win-mean-for-northern-cyprus