Eastern Mediterranean, Revisionism and Neo-Ottomanism
Eastern Mediterranean, Revisionism and Neo-Ottomanism
Cem Gurdeniz
Aydinlik Newspaper, 12.1.2020
With the geopolitical competition
in the Eastern Mediterranean, the concepts constantly emphasized by Turkey's
opponents, especially the Greek media and the exiled FETO media, are
revisionism (transforming back the current conditions into previous geopolitical
conditions) and Neo-Ottomanism. The Blue Homeland, which is my brainchild, is
also included in this category, especially after the Memoranda of Understanding
(MoU) of maritime delimitation and military cooperation & security with
Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA). Let me tell you the end of the
article from the beginning. The Blue Homeland is not even remotely related to
Revisionism and Neo-Ottomanism. Although, this statement should not be
considered as rejecting our own history or our own past. I am proud of our
past; from the tradition of empire-building and I am a person who feels the
honor of belonging to a nation with a 5000-year old history and feels the honor
of being born a Turk every time, I breathe. And in this context, I am a staunch
follower and defender of the immortal leader Mustafa Kemal and Kemalism, who
had carried out a great war of independence and 15 years of Turkish Renaissance
which took place on the wreckage of a collapsed and destroyed empire.
NEO-OTTOMANISM IS
A DREAM
The Republic, which is approaching
its 100th anniversary of
foundation, cannot and should not deal with Ottomanism dreams. Although some
politicians in the parties that came to power in the post-Cold War era
sometimes had dreams of new Ottomanism, the situation that this dream could
reach in the end, remains only on a cultural level. We have a common heritage
based on religion and traditions between many of the Balkan, North Africa, and
Middle Eastern countries that had broken away from the Ottoman Empire, but , it
is almost impossible to establish a political structure similar to an Ottoman
Commonwealth, based on religion in the 21st century. On the other hand, to establish a
functional cooperation structure with our kinsfolk in the Balkans and Asia under
the umbrella of the Turkish World, is a geopolitical reality that should be
considered.
MUSTAFA KEMAL'S REVISIONISM IS REAL
The Republic, is a secular
nation-state founded on the ruins of Ottomans, on the demographic structure
that remains within the borders of Misak-i Milli (National Oath), with the
thesis "The people who founded the Republic of Turkey, are called Turks".
On the other hand, security and foreign policies carried out with the
philosophy of Peace at Home, Peace in the World, has never made Turkey a
revisionist. Mustafa Kemal's decision to gain full sovereignty over the Turksih
Straits with the Montreux Convention after the liberation, and then to
incorporating Hatay within national
borders, were the essential and inevitable consequences of then geopolitics. If
he had lived long enough, we could say that he would have accomplished the
questions of Mosul and Kirkuk. Afterwards, the Republic, let alone being a
revisionist, had even stayed away from Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean
until the Bloody Christmas of 1963, as a part of being a loyal member of NATO.
If there had never been a Bloody Christmas, it would have been too late for the
Navy to deploy even in Mersin, in the Mediterranean coast. In 1950, while the
Greeks held a plebiscite for Enosis and declaring to the world that 96 percent
of the island's population wanted Enosis, Turkish Cypriots and Turkey demanded
minority rights. Even a Turkish Minority Association was established in Cyprus
for this purpose. When in 1951, Ankara could say, "Turkey does not have a Cyprus
problem"; in 1964, Turkey expanded its territorial waters in the
Aegean from 3 miles to 6 miles, following the Bloody Christmas and strained
Turkish-Greek relations. They did not even think that, shrinking the high seas
area (from 79% to 49%) would weaken our cards in the future, in partitioning of
the continental shelf. Later on, a righteous awakening began, and the 1974
Cyprus Peace Operation was carried out in full accordance with the
international law, in order to prevent a major genocide. If Turkey were a
revisionist, it would have occupied the entire island and completed the
integration with the Turkish Cypriots during the time that has passed up to
this date. Integration aside, a segregation from Cyprus was achieved under the
solution process, despite the proclamation of
Turkish Republic of Northeren Cyprus (TRNC) in 1983. The imperialist
bloc in front of us, could not even stand to this. They attacked harder. We did
not even object to the one-sided accession of The Greek Cypriots to the EU in
2004, which is completely contrary to the foundation agreements. This was
actually another form of Enosis. Even that day, Turkey was settled with only
condemning this action. Later on, their tyranny grew unimaginably. In the spring
of 2004, proclamation of the EEZ and in the winter of 2007, let alone the TRNC
maritime zone, even the areas that are accepted as Turkish continental shelf,
was opened to hydrocarbon drilling of the international companies by Greek
Cypriots.
GEOPOLITICAL AWAKENING AFTER JULY 15
Today, we started the third decade
of the 21st century. We are
dealing with a whole new world conjuncture. After the 15 July 2016 coup attempt
of FETO, Turkey is rapidly taking its place in the new world order. Turkey's
approach towards Russia, China and Iran shapes the new world order through
Syria, Northern Iraq and the Eastern Mediterranean. Turkey is experiencing a
low-intensity proxy war-centered conflict process in regions which it borders,
namely Northern Iraq and Syria. This process does not take place between the
regular armies of the sovereign nation states, but proxies. On the other hand,
the struggle to share the maritime jurisdictions over the Eastern Mediterranean
Sea, has turned into a maritime clash of geopolitical interests. Unlike the
land, there are no proxy wars at sea. The fight is aimed at breaking Turkey off
from its Blue Homeland in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Turkish nation, which
succeeded in its liberation and foundation in a short period of time, with the
drive to protect its homeland and tear the Treaty of Sevres apart, over the
remnants of an empire that was defeated and invaded in the 1920s, this time in
the 21st century, must and can repel the invasion attempt of the Blue Homeland
in the Eastern Mediterranean. An area of roughly 462,000 square kilometers
constituting our Maritime Authority areas, do not only offer us the potential
for economic wealth, but also provides our state with space for a deep defense
strategy and geopolitical maneuvering capability on our peninsula, where its
defense begins at sea.
BLUE HOMELAND IS
THE NEW NATIONAL OATH
Defending the Blue Homeland for
the future generations, is neither Revisionism nor Neo-Ottomanism. In short,
the Blue Homeland is the National Oath of the seas. Today, which statesman or
politician would allow 150,000 square kilometers of future generations’
maritime area in the Eastern Mediterranean to be stolen? However, a systematic
attack is underway with the concepts of Revisionism and Neo-Ottomanism, against
the concept of the Blue Homeland, which is found very disturbing by the
Atlantic system and the Greek authorities. What is sad is that, just to pose an
opposition, the existence of the people, that want to use organized attacks
from the domestic crypto-FETO sources, and its uncovered foreign counterparts,
via this structure’s media inside, as a tool for domestic politics.
BLUE HOMELAND IS
THE NAME OF A GEOPOLITICAL PROCESS
The Blue Homeland, is the name of
the process that strengthens Turkey's geopolitical control over the Eastern
Mediterranean, Aegean, The Black Sea and the Straits, in today's irreversible
global process, where the transition from the Atlantic era to the Asian era,
and a transition from a unipolar world, to a multipolar world takes place.
While this process defends our geopolitical integrity in our maritime jurisdiction areas, it also
opposes the attempts to undermine the Montreux Convention, like Canal Istanbul.
On the other hand, Blue Homeland is the name for a gate, that opens to new
opportunities and innovations, under the context of global, continental and
regional relations that Turkey will develop over the axis of the Caspian
Sea-Black Sea-Eastern Mediterranean Sea-Red Sea-Oman Sea. It is also a symbol
of Turkey's maritimization process. In short, the Blue Homeland is the name of
the 21st century Geopolitics
of Turkey. Neither the spirit of time, nor today's scorching geopolitical
conditions, will allow the Blue Homeland to be ridiculed with Neo-Ottomanism
and Revisionism.
THE MARITIME
TURKEY WILL TAKE LESSONS FROM THE HISTORY
It is unthinkable that already
maritimizing Turkey, would follow the
steps of the Ottoman Empire that has collapsed because it never becaöe a
maritime state. But Turkey can learn from its history. And those lessons have
been learned. Navy of the Republic, which is constantly growing and coming up
with modern armament, new strategies and doctrines after the Cold War, is ready
for today's struggle in the Eastern Mediterranean. With the developments in our
Defense Industry, the size of our population and our place in the G-20, has
naturally exposed this process and ensured deterrence.
THE BLUE HOMELAND
AND THE TURKISH-RUSSIAN COOPERATION
As Turkey
breaks away from the Atlantic system and approaches towards the West Asia, it
will continue to be blamed for Neo-Ottomanism or Revisionism. Because they
still want to see the submissive, Rimland Country of the Atlantic alliance
system. They want to turn the two states against each other and make them
geopolitical rivals and strategic enemies by undermining the strategic
cooperation between Turkey and Russia, which has given the greatest momentum to
this process. So, let us remind once again to Greece and the domestic and
foreign FETO media. Accusing Turkey of Neo-Ottomanism, Revisionism and Islamic
imperialism could provoke the ignorant masses that are hostile towards Turkey.
In the 21st century, our region and the world needs peace and stability.
Bringing the climate of Crescent-Cross conflict in the Eastern Mediterranean
does not benefit the humanity, in a conjuncture, of which Muslims kill other
Muslims in the Islamic geography and of which Arab countries such as Saudi
Arabia/UAE/Egypt and Israel are strategic allies. This drives the
masses away from reason, virtue and wisdom. There has not been a single war in
which fanaticism eventually wins. The secular, democratic Republic of Turkey
which follows Mustafa Kemal's path and the Turkish-Russian partnership that
will be strengthened in Libya and Syria, will be the greatest antidote to this
fanaticism. In this process, the government, the opposition and all fellows
should take the lessons that are necessary and row towards stability.