Özsoy: EU summit will not bring sanctions

The foreign policy spokesman of the HDP, Hişyar Özsoy, predicts that no sanctions against Turkey will come out at the upcoming EU summit.

The foreign policy spokesman of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), Hişyar Özsoy, considers a decision of sanctions at the upcoming EU summit to be unlikely. In an interview with ANF, he explains that Turkey is trying to solve its conflict with Greece, which has existed since the foundation of Turkey, by militarization.

Özsoy recalls the population exchange between the Greek and Turkish minorities in Greece and Turkey and describes in particular the action against the Pontus Greeks as traumatic. After 1960, the Cyprus question gained in importance and the occupation and annexation of Northern Cyprus by Turkey made any solution impossible. Özsoy continued: "In the recent past we have seen a new rise in tension with the discovery of natural gas in the south of Cyprus. These new energy sources have brought old problems to light again. Turkey in particular wants a slice of the cake in southern Cyprus, but it cannot sit at the energy table. Egypt, Israel, Greece and Cyprus each have their own problems with Turkey. That connects them. Turkey is trying to get a seat at the table by militarizing the situation. In case of emergency, it is also prepared to use violence to do so.”

US and Germany prevent sanctions

Özsoy says that the summit of the heads of states of the European Union (EU), which will take place on 24 and 25 September, will lay the foundation for a specific agreement between Turkey and Greece. He notes that the EU wants to solve the problem without the use of sanctions: "Erdoğan makes a lot of noise, but in the background the delegations meet and work. Ibrahim Kalın is also trying to find a middle way through talks with his Greek counterparts. In short, the EU summit will not impose sanctions on Turkey because Germany and the United States have created the basis for negotiations between Turkey and Greece. This will not solve the problem. The question of the eastern Mediterranean is not an easy one to resolve, because it is based on the Cyprus question, which has not been resolved for 45 years.”

The conqueror mentality is deeply rooted in the Turkish government

Regarding the Turkish government's war policy and expansionism, the foreign policy expert says: "In domestic policy, too, it attacks everywhere with the logic of conquest. This is a problem with alliances that have been formed in Turkey in the last five years. The AKP/MHP coalition and the circles that have gathered around it have united on the basis of a new concept. They try to destroy the political and cultural demands of the Kurds and all their achievements. It is not only the Kurdish question that is at stake, they are trying to centralize the power of the state and concentrate it in one hand through a series of highly anti-democratic, authoritarian practices. The separation of powers no longer exists; a highly authoritarian regime of conquest has been installed domestically. When trustees are appointed to Kurdish municipalities, the government believes it has recaptured them by raising Turkish flags. The Kurdish region is completely militarized and full of tanks, it looks like an occupation zone. These are only a few examples of the effect of the conqueror mentality at home".

Erdoğan needs external enemy

Özsoy notes that the hostility towards Greece and the West, as it is repeatedly articulated by Erdoğan, is primarily directed inwards: "For a long time now the rhetoric of the 'inner enemy' has ruled here. In the 2019 elections, this rhetoric had crossed the line of this inward focus and the government failed. It suffered a massive defeat in the local elections. From now on, Erdogan will continue to need external enemies, he will have to produce enemies. The coming period will be a period of foreign policy tension, with words and slogans, but those who shout the loudest are most likely to be forced to compromise. We can say this especially for Erdoğan’s politics. We are going to see a play again."