Erdogan must normalize relations with Armenia to restore his reputation

PanARMENIAN.Net - "Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's showdown in Davos inevitably hurt bilateral relations between Turkey and Israel. High-level officials from both sides have made harsh statements," said Ali Bulac in his article "Fury of the Lobbies".



He mentions that to some degree, these statements are understandable. However, when they cross the line and the parties' attitudes and stance become harsher, the criticisms turn into serious problems, causing unpleasant results. According to Bulac, a recent column by David L. Phillips from The Boston Globe is one such example. "If Erdogan wants to restore his reputation as a statesman and a reliable partner of the West, Turkey must repair its ties with Israel, normalize relations with Armenia, and welcome ships from Cyprus. Becoming an advocate for Hamas is a mistake. Turkey's future lies with the West. The Islamist street leads away from Europe to the Middle East," he writes.



"A country like Turkey is not afraid of such threats; it won't consider the threats referred to by Phillips. In fact, Erdogan's response to Peres in Davos should not be exaggerated. Other Arab countries have done the same. Muammar Qaddafi described the Arab leaders as cowards for their failure to do anything vis-à-vis the civilian massacres in Gaza. The Algerian parliament adopted a resolution making all diplomatic and commercial relations with Israel a crime. We also know a lot about the initiatives of the emir of Qatar under the roof of the UN Security Council. Iran, while displaying a balanced reaction, never wavered in its position vis-a-vis Israel," Bulac states.



The analyst considers that Jewish lobbies in the US falsely believe that they are strong enough to make their agenda accepted. "When it comes to the Jewish lobbies' threats with respect to the Armenian issue, this is not something Turkey should be worried about. There will be no difference between the endorsement of the claims by the US Congress and the approval of the same allegations by parliaments of other countries. Besides, the Jewish lobbies will be most affected by this because they will lose the monopolistic power over the "genocide" issue," worldbulletin.net reports.