Erdogan’s policies left Turkey isolated: Analyst

Press TV has interviewed Joaquin Flores, a member of the Center for Syncretic Studies in Belgrade, to discuss the remarks by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that Moscow has intelligence that shows leaders of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group and Ankara are currently working out a new approach to the war in Syria.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: Any surprise do you think that Russia believes that Ankara is working with Daesh?

Flores: This is a subject that had been covered for quite some time by journalists, by reporters. Analysts have covered this subject really since the outbreak of this conflict now going on four years and more. So it is really not a surprise for anyone. In our field, we of course look at these subjects.

Now what really has changed is that the Russians are now in a position, I think now where that publics across the world, mass publics, now understand and now fully recognize that Turkey and Qatar are so fundamentally connected to funding and financing, providing support for Daesh, that now when Lavrov makes these sorts of statements, it is really just telling us things which I think the public has been prepared to accept and of course these are true statements.

So it is really no surprise and I think it is really quite good timing on the part of the Russians to make this point clear and I will furthermore add to that that it is very, very strange that it is precisely at the times when this US and Turkish supported coalition finds themselves in the jaws of defeat; that they want to return to the bargaining table, make accusations and act as if they are in a very good position to make a deal. They are not.

Press TV: I am wondering though all of this is very dangerous, this is all very dangerous game that Turkey is playing, isn’t it, because it is right on the border, all of this will certainly have blowback at some point I would imagine?

Flores: It absolutely will. I think that from the point of view of history, we will absolutely look back and look at Erdogan and see his foreign policy as disastrous. He has really pushed Turkey to not only be isolated by countries which they previously had quite good relations with, Iran among them, up until a number of years ago; decent relations, professional and business relationships with Russia and now you have, looking at NATO even, countries like France and Germany telling Turkey the things you are doing are going to cause blowback, the things that you are doing are actually going to fracture the NATO coalition, and I think that these are the sorts of consequences of the wild ride that Turkey has taken the region on, that is right.  

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