According to an influential political scientist and an expert in the field of security, Sedat Laçiner, “this is not a problem that can be resolved by simply erasing memory of the past.”
In an interview with Sputnik, Laçiner said, “No government can achieve a ‘total reset’ in relations, by erasing from the political memory everything that happened in the past. The Russian plane was shot down, the pilot was killed and very harsh statements were made.”
It is impossible to forget those incidents just like that, stressed the expert. The tragic case with the downed Russian aircraft brought up other negative memories, which seemed a thing of the past.
“The state can be compared to a ship. If the steering wheel is moved sharply, the worst case is that the ship can capsize and get wrecked. In the best case it will sustain an internal damage. The situation is similar to the relationship between the two countries,” Laçiner said.
The expert recalled that the Turkish authorities initially stated that, if a similar case took place once again, they would give the same order, boasting of their unyielding stance, however, after some time they changed their rhetoric, sent a letter of apology and expressed hope that relations can “start over again."
“But by then a lot of precious time had been lost, something has remained between the two countries, something, that can no longer be corrected,” according to the expert.
Talking about Turkey’s foreign policy, Laçiner stressed that Turkey, starting from 2010, has set off on dubious ventures in its relations with countries such as Syria, Israel, Russia and Iran.
“Historic and diplomatic experience of Turkey, its political culture and traditions were brought to nothing. Turkish foreign policy started to get defined by a team of politicians who have held previous positions in the Municipality of Istanbul (Erdogan in 1994-1998 served as mayor of Istanbul).”
“Such techniques have never been used in the political tradition of the Turkish Republic, this behavior is not befitting a serious self-sufficient state,” Laçiner said.
According to him the military, political and economic security of Turkey is under very serious threat. The majority of the population is not aware of it, but the situation is really grave. Over the past five or six years, all sectors of the country have suffered significantly.
“With regard to Turkey's policy in the Middle East, particularly in Syria, it reminds me of a sparrow attempting to seize and carry away a sheep. Turkey overestimated its strength and capabilities in the Middle East, from Egypt to Syria, and is stalling under the weight of its own mistakes,” the expert noted.
He further stressed that major powers such as the US and Russia are trying to lead an extremely careful policy in Syria and Iraq because everyone understands the danger of ill-considered action in this region, where the balance of power is so fragile.
“Turkey was however, unable to correctly assess the regional situation and no longer adhere to the basic diplomatic rules. If this was a tactic, it has not been applied for the past 30 years. Currently, the foreign policy is seeing unprecedented processes,” Laçiner concluded.
