After a few months when there was less tension and more warmth in relations between Ankara and Washington, statements of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan which he made on the side-lines of the UN General Assembly raised questions about the future of relations between his country and the United States.
Since the end of the Cold War, relations between the two NATO allies have fluctuated in a big way. This was due to large-scale re-evaluation of the vision and functioning of the alliance as a whole, as well as for Turkey’s importance and its supposed role in the future, after the collapse of the former Soviet Union.
During the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the Turkish parliament refused to allow US forces to use Turkish territories. It was the beginning of the AKP rule in Turkey. Then (Barak) Obama spoke to the Islamic world from under the dome of the (Turkish) parliament itself in 2009, recommending what he called the “Turkish Model” with Justice and Development.
The gap between the two sides has widened again due to the continuous and increasing American support to the Syrian forces which could emerge as its reliable local ally.
It seems that the accelerating developments in Afghanistan has turned the clock back on where it was before Erdogan met Biden and the agreement regarding the airport.
All of this was reflected in the Turkish President’s statements during the meetings of the UN General Assembly, and even in his interviews with the American media.
(by Said Elhaj in Al Jazeera)
UAE-Iran Dispute over Islands
The statements exchanged by Emirati and Iranian officials regarding the islands of the UAE which are under Iranian control raised questions about the relationship between the two sides which had shown signs of improvement over the last two years. Instead it has also highlighted the complications of the security system of the Arabian Gulf which need to be dealt with to get rid of the factors of its destabilisation.
The speech delivered by the UAE Minister of State, Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar, at the United Nations once again sparked the territorial dispute between Iran and the Emirates over the issue of the three islands, the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa. In his speech, he indicated that his country would continue to claim sovereignty over the islands occupied by Iran which are in the Strait of Hormuz. He stressed that Iranian control flagrantly violates international law and the Charter of the United Nations. A statement issued by the Iranian Permanent Mission to the United Nations stated that “the three islands are inseparable areas of Iranian territory and any claim to them is strongly rejected.”
The Iranian navy had taken control of the three islands after the British withdrawal in 1971, during the reign of the last king of the Pahlavi dynasty, Muhammad Reza Shah, and then the “Islamic Republic” continued to control the three islands.
(by Huda Rouf in Independent Arabia)
Compiled and Translated by Faizul Haque