Page 14 - bne_np_June_9_2017

Southeast Europe
June 9, 2017 www.intellinews.com I Page 14
Turkey struggles with the conundrum of Qatar
bne IntelliNews
The political storm in the Gulf caught Turkey off guard. However, Ankara, which for the past dec- ade and a half has been trying to establish itself as the leader of the Middle East’s Muslim nations, was quick to respond to the crisis that erupted when several Arab states, led by Saudi Arabia, launched an attempt to isolate Qatar, severing diplomatic links and blockading the small penin- sular by land, sea and air.
The alliance of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations lined up against Doha have pointed the finger at the gas-rich Qatari regime for back- ing radical Islamist groups accused of terrorism, including the Muslim Brotherhood, and for col- laborating with Iran.
Qatar is something of a wildcard when it comes to its alliances in the Middle East and some analysts believe that the crisis is an attempt by Saudi Ara- bia to make it choose sides between Riyadh and Tehran. The terrorism charges are a red herring, they say – Saudi Arabia itself has plenty of ques- tions to answer when it comes to ideological and financial support for terrorists that can allegedly be traced back to Saudi elements – because it is actually the economic rise of post-nuclear sanc- tions Iran that has the Saudis truly worried.
But whatever the real roots of what is the worst diplomatic crisis in the Middle East in decades, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has wasted no time. He has been engaged in intense “phone diplomacy”, discussing matters with the leaders of Qatar, Bahrain, Indonesia, Lebanon, Jordan, Malaysia, Russia, Kuwait and Saudi Ara- bia, as well as with French President Emmanuel
Ever since Donald Trump arrived in Riyadh in mid-May and affirmed cordial relations with the Saudis (here he and King Salman, second from left, take part in a sword dance with a traditional Saudi troupe), Middle East rivalries have been on the rise.
Macron. Meanwhile, the Iranian foreign minister has been in town, discussing the situation with his Turkish counterpart in Ankara.
Erdogan stated on June 6 that isolating Qatar “would not resolve any problems”. He then declared that Turkey would be doing everything in its power to end the crisis, but that it would also be applying itself to maintaining and even improving ties with Doha.
In a show of support, Turkey’s parliament on June 7 even approved bills allowing for a troop deployment to Qatar. The lira weakened nearly 1% against the dollar and the main Istanbul stock exchange index, the BIST-100, sank 0.73% after the vote.
The fact that Ankara has simultaneously offered mediation to help diffuse the tension and support for the Doha regime underline the complexity of the situation for Turkey as the shifting Middle East political landscape, already upset by the intracta- ble Syrian conflict, becomes increasingly complex.
Since his Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in 2002, Erdogan has tried hard to boost Turkey’s image across the Middle East. While maintaining increasingly fraught relations with the West, Ankara has established strong ties with the GCC nations, building relations with Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (the players in the diplomatic standoff, along with Egypt, Yemen and the Maldives).
Ankara’s relations with Cairo, however, turned sour when Erdogan denounced the military coup in Egypt led by Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, which toppled Mohamed Morsi and ejected his Muslim Brotherhood from power.