In recent years, Turkey has taken a number of steps away from Western institutions, scaling back its aspirations to join the European Union, and attempting to build new geopolitical and security partnerships outside the NATO bloc.
The West is losing its influence in global affairs and suffering a loss in trust due to its “double standards” and the growing power of Asia, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has suggested.
According to the diplomat, part of the reason for the decline in the West’s influence has been that “it has begun to destroy the principles on which its stands, including democracy and human rights. Islamophobia and a policy of double standards has begun to appear. Accordingly, trust toward the West’s politics has fallen,” he said.
At the same time, Cavusoglu suggested that Asia was rising, with Asian nations already accounting for more than 50 percent of the world economy, and growing.
The foreign minister suggested that if the West wants to preserve its position in the world, it needs to review its policies and do more to preserve its values.
Finally, commenting on tensions between Turkey and Russia over the fighting in Idlib, Syria, Cavusoglu said Turkey wants fighting in the area to stop and for a permanent ceasefire to be established, and has said so to Russian officials. A Turkish delegation will travel to Moscow to discuss the conflict in Syria on Monday, he confirmed.
Syria Tensions
On Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan demanded that Syrian forces pull out of the Idlib de-escalation zone immediately, warning of a full-scale Turkish offensive if Damascus failed to do so. Tensions between Syria and Turkey escalated on Monday after a Syrian Army artillery strike struck a Turkish observation post, killing eight and injuring several others. Turkey responded by firing on dozens of Syrian Army targets. The Russian military warned Turkey against “irresponsible statements” and actions, saying these could only lead to an escalation of the situation. Moscow also accused Ankara of failing to live up to its commitments to separate ‘moderate opposition’ fighters from jihadist terrorists.
Syria kicked off an anti-terrorist operation in Idlib late last year, after repeated violations by militants of a 2017 ceasefire brokered by Russian, Iran and Turkey. This week, Damascus said it would continue its campaign in Idlib and throughout the country, notwithstanding Turkish threats.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
0.00 (0%) 0 votes
