Regarding NATO, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said, “What is important for us is that the alliance develops a sensitivity in the fight against terrorism in a way that understands and covers Turkey’s concerns.”
Minister Fidan evaluated the foreign policy agenda and answered questions in Habertürk live broadcast.
Fidan said that he has been making contacts in many parts of the world recently and reminded that he attended the Ukraine Peace Conference in Switzerland.
Fidan stated that there are those who see Turkey’s participation in BRICS as “axis shift”, but that it has been a long time since Turkey removed axis shift from its foreign policy agenda, and that Turkey closely follows how alternative economic platforms are shaped in the world while looking at the BRICS issue.
In response to a question on whether BRICS is an alternative to the G7, Minister Fidan said, “The G7 is a place where more political issues, countries with the same strategic goals and the same civilization come together. BRICS, on the other hand, is a platform that started for economic purposes at that point, it does not have a structural form based on a rule.”
Stating that BRICS is a platform that includes all civilizations, races and religions compared to the EU, Fidan said that the platform can produce serious benefits when it is structured and institutionalized as in the EU.
Underlining that Turkey’s attitude, search and dialogues here are quite normal, Fidan said that Turkey is trying to keep its bilateral relations with BRICS member countries at a good level, especially in the economic field.
Stating that the two countries with the highest foreign trade volume of Turkey are China and Russia, Fidan noted that Turkey is holding talks and negotiations with BRICS member countries.
Russia visit
Fidan reminded that during his visit to Russia to attend the BRICS+ meeting, he held meetings in Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and many important actors in the Russian state system.
Pointing out that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is likely to meet with Putin in Kazakhstan in the coming days, Fidan emphasized that Syria, Ukraine, energy issues in bilateral cooperation, issues related to trade volume and the situation of Turkish companies in Russia are extremely important in relations with Russia at the moment.
During his trip to China and Russia, Fidan said that even though the war did not spread to another country, he saw that the division in the world over the war was increasing, adding, “China, Russia, Korea, Iran, these are now moving beyond being a dialogue partner towards solidarity, towards a more structural partnership. Of course, this is actually an expansion brought about by the war.”
Russia-Ukraine War
Explaining that they conveyed Turkey’s views to the interlocutors that peace is essential in Ukraine and that Russia should take a stance at this point, Fidan reminded that in a meeting held at the Russian Foreign Ministry, Putin listed his country’s conditions for stopping the war with Ukraine item by item.
Fidan said that it was important for Putin to express these conditions, and that the other side should reveal its intention by saying “yes” or “no” for these conditions.
Minister Fidan said, “We are in the 21st century, we are in a situation where more than 500 thousand people have died, a country is about to be destroyed with its infrastructure and superstructure, millions of people have been displaced and the war has moved into Russia. We are no longer in a position to tolerate this proliferation.”
Regarding whether there is a ground for the Istanbul negotiation process between Russia and Ukraine, Fidan noted that he always sees a ground for the negotiation process, pointing out that it is important whether the parties want to use this ground.
Stating that the parties do not want to show weakness both to the other side and to their public opinion in their positions as the first to speak out for peace, negotiation and dialogue, Fidan said that the election processes in Europe and the US are also expected.
Reminding that Russia has repeatedly stated that it would not hesitate to use all kinds of weapons, including nuclear weapons, Fidan pointed out that there is a very serious methodical expansion when the weapons and ranges used when the war started are compared to those used now.
Referring to Turkey’s warnings about this issue from the beginning of the war, Fidan said, “This risk will continue as long as the war continues. There is no escape from this. Because both sides will have to use different qualified weapons, different game-changing methods to inflict more damage on each other. Everything is in play, so after the proxies come into play, there is a possibility that this spark will spread to other places.”
“The war between the regime and the opposition is not going on as of now”
Fidan also evaluated the situation in Syria and said, “The most important thing about Syria that both the Russians and our side have achieved so far is that the war between the regime and the opposition is not continuing as of now.”
Emphasizing that the agreement reached by Russia and Turkey at the level of leaders, the processes and formats carried out have made this possible and that this is the biggest achievement, Fidan said, “We would like the Syrian regime to use this period of non-conflict and silence wisely. We would have liked the Syrian regime to use these years as an opportunity to resolve its constitutional problems, to reconcile with its own opponents, to bring back the millions of people who have fled abroad and to rebuild the country and revitalize its economy. But we see that not enough has been made of it.”
Noting that Fidan underlined these issues in his meetings with Putin and other colleagues, he said:
“Syria needs to do this for itself. For the region, of course, we consider it important in terms of development. We see it important for the return of refugees. We think that Syria, which has become a little more stable and integrated with its government and opposition, will be a more effective actor especially in the fight against PKK terrorism. As I said, the presence of Russia, Iran, Israel’s constant operations in Syria, and the presence of various militia groups make the issue a little more complicated. Within this complexity, it is important that we pursue a continuous dynamic policy in a way to protect our own national interests.”
“We are more sensitive in our fight against the PKK than you are in your fight against terrorism”
Regarding the NATO Summit to be held in Washington on July 9-11, Fidan said, “What is important for us is that the alliance develops a sensitivity in the fight against terrorism in a way that understands and covers Turkey’s concerns.”
Fidan said that these priorities of Turkey were brought to the agenda in previous summits, in Madrid, and structuralized in Vilnius, and continued as follows:
“We also underlined our sensitivity, especially that NATO member countries should not impose restrictions on each other in defense industry products. Our expectations on this issue continue in this way. There are still some problematic areas, they need to be resolved. There are issues that we have largely resolved, there are issues that need to be resolved.”
Answering a question about Turkey’s trust problem with its NATO allies over the PKK/YPG terrorist organization, Fidan said, “The countries we have problems with regarding the YPG are the US, the UK and a little bit France. America does not show much, Britain does not show much behind its back… In order to maintain its presence there, it is also present in all operations where the US is present, it is also involved in this business. We are saying this problem at every level. We continue the diplomacy at the highest level possible that this is contrary to the spirit of the alliance and that Turkey can no longer live with such a reality.”
“(US and UK) We have more sensitivity in our fight against the PKK than you have in your fight against terrorism, just across our border. It is out of the question for us to be in any kind of negotiation here. We will continue to fight until this threat eliminates itself or removes itself in another way,” Fidan said, adding that it is important for Turkey not to be a threat.
Fidan stated that Turkey’s arguments on this issue are strong and that it is understood how serious its intentions are, and said, “Therefore, with strategic patience and wisdom, we want this issue to come to a certain point with the understanding of the other side and to be withdrawn between us and the PKK.”
Rising far right in Europe
Answering a question about how Turkey would be affected by the rise of the far-right in Europe, Fidan said that in his previous position, the far-right in Europe was considered a “threat” and that Europe also saw it as a threat.
Fidan said, “When we define threats, we also perceive issues that pose a threat to our compatriots living abroad as threats. Not only within our borders, the far right has a very criminal history in Europe, especially against the Turkish and Muslim masses. While this reality is obvious, it is quite normal for us to follow this in this way.”
Minister Fidan mentioned that the EU’s relationship with Turkey has always been as if “the far right is in power” and emphasized that Europe acts contrary to the basic values built.
Stating that the far-right movements in Europe are “Zionist” in order to legitimize themselves, Fidan noted that this situation is to protect the interests of the far-right movement.
Referring to drawing a line between being anti-immigrant and being against the civilization the immigrant comes from, Fidan underlined that identity politics is a tool to win votes.
Fidan pointed out that the movement of marginalization against Turks, the Islamic world and the Turkish world in Europe is the opposite of Europe’s philosophy and stated that the far right of each country has different policies.
Regional or global war scenario
Minister Fidan emphasized that it is important for Europe to cooperate with Turkey to become a more independent and confident geostrategic actor.
Fidan said that the aim of staying in power in European politics has led to geostrategic issues not being a priority, pointing out the main consequences of this situation on the public.
Noting that one of the problems facing the European Union (EU) is to what extent it can “depend” on the US within the “transatlantic” structure, Fidan said that Europe’s ability to maintain its internal peace in the absence of an “umbrella” is a vital question.
Pointing out that the world should take the scenario of regional or global war seriously, Fidan reminded that he had warned about this issue.
Emphasizing that the “massacre and genocide” in Gaza has divided humanity into two, Fidan said, “There is an issue where the conscience of a large part of the world is now focused at a certain point, where they have come to the same point, the same frequency, and there is a structure, a group that stands against it. Even they find it difficult to stand now. This structure also has a problem with the ongoing war in Ukraine.”
Development of artificial intelligence
Noting that the unexpected and rapid development of artificial intelligence has triggered a race for technological superiority, Fidan underlined that the subject has great potential and could be a game-changer.
Fidan said that the way to realize artificial intelligence is to develop high-capacity processors, and if quantum computers come to life, significant changes could take place.
Israel’s policy in Gaza
“The Israeli system, led by the Netanyahu government, has a policy to completely destroy the Palestinian resistance movement under the pretext of Hamas and to legitimize and institutionalize the occupation it has been carrying out for years,” Fidan said, stressing that after October 7, 2023, Israel unveiled its systematic war plan to turn events to its own advantage.
Fidan stated that European states and the US did not stop this policy of Israel, on the contrary, they supported it and said, “Now, at the point where the world has come, especially the two-state solution, the cessation of the war, the issue of humanitarian aid has come to an extremely important point.”
Minister Fidan said, “This war in Gaza, the division of the world and the fact that the majority of the world is on the side of the Palestinians is an extremely important issue in terms of the course of the current system in the world.” Fidan said that the US and European states do not support the two-state solution and do not react to Israel for “stealing someone else’s land”.
Fidan pointed out that these countries should support the efforts of Palestinians to establish a state, emphasizing that in this way, Jews, Christians and Muslims can live in peace in the region.
Pointing to the oil and natural gas as well as infrastructure investments in the region, Fidan said that these could have been further developed if peace had been achieved, but this has not been achieved.
Danger of war spreading
Pointing out that they are facing the danger of the war spreading with Israel’s attacks on Gaza, Fidan emphasized that this risk will continue as long as Israel continues its genocide.
Fidan noted that especially Lebanon coming to the agenda is a harbinger of the risk of proliferation, and reminded that there is also a proliferation in the Red Sea with the involvement of the Houthis.
Pointing out that the current low-intensity conflicts could turn into a big war and draw other actors into it, Fidan said that they warned European and regional actors about the GASC.
Regarding the GASC being a part of the operations against Gaza, Fidan said:
“The fact that this place has turned into an operation center… After October 7, after the first operations launched by Israel, we have always seen through intelligence reports that the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus has become a base used by certain countries, especially in operations against Gaza. That intelligence flights and military flights to Gaza are constantly carried out there. When we brought this up, they suddenly declared it a logistics base for Gaza. In fact, we said at the time that this logistics base operation has turned into an activity that conceals the fact that it is actually a military base. The use of this place and the Greek islands for operations in the Middle East will benefit neither Greek Cyprus nor Greece. Our advice, which we have also told the Greeks, is to stay away from these places and these affairs because when you get involved in the ongoing wars in the Middle East in this way, when you become a party, this fire will come and find you too. We are already in the same geography, it will come and find us too.”
Fidan stressed that regional actors should see that there is a serious militarization there and this should be prevented.
Fight against terrorism
Regarding the deciphering of “ByLock” and the fight against FETÖ, Fidan underlined that the deciphering of “ByLock” was a turning point in the fight against FETÖ and emphasized that thanks to this, FETÖ ceased to be a ghost organization.
Explaining that when they received intelligence about “ByLock”, they established a special technical unit to decipher it, Fidan said that they succeeded in deciphering it by trying different methods.
About being called to testify on February 7, 2012, Fidan said, “It was one of the first moves in which the organization actually put its intentions against the system into a big operation.”
Saying that he had been targeted by Israel before, Fidan noted that the FETÖ terrorist organization took over this job later.
Fidan said, “They knew that we would no longer tolerate the empire they started to create in the security intelligence and other places in the system, that we saw the trend here, that is, they knew our sensitivity on the issue that a parallel structure would never exist in the state.”
Reminding that on December 28, listening devices (bugs) were found and the FETÖ terrorist organization was exposed, Fidan said that efforts were made to discredit the National Intelligence Organization.
Fidan said, “The Turkish state is a state with a tradition dating back to centuries and millennia. It knows how and with which methods to fight the bandits and rebellious people within itself. It has a strategic culture and stance that is engraved in social memories.”
Reforms in the Ministry of National Intelligence and Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Stating that no threat that originates within Turkey can survive, but only when it finds a foothold from the outside, Fidan said that the threat Turkey has to deal with is external.
Fidan said that in this context, they are focusing on improving foreign intelligence activities, and that they are also working intensively on training people and building infrastructure for technical methods.
Noting that they have seen the benefits of MİT working more closely and in synchronization with other institutions and organizations, Fidan pointed out that intelligence activities are one of the foreign policy tools and that the integration and coordination between MİT and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is going well.
Fidan said that they focused on structural reforms in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is part of the national security system, and that they made reforms on the training of personnel, organizational chart, specialization in regions, countries and issues.
When asked about Turkey’s mediation between Russia and the US intelligence on Ukraine, Fidan said that Turkey was preferred because of its reliable partnership.
Emphasizing that that meeting was extremely important and historic for world peace, Fidan underlined that the main benefit was that nuclear weapons were not used.
Asked whether the separation of domestic and foreign intelligence is suitable for Turkey, Fidan said that the police and gendarmerie are consolidated and cooperate well, adding, “It is extremely important for the National Intelligence Organization to allocate more of its limited means and capabilities abroad. The National Intelligence Organization is currently the expert in the fight against espionage. Tremendous work is being done here. As with other major states in the world, this issue will have to be handed over to this internal organization at a certain stage at a certain time and we will have to be in a structure that is completely focused on the outside, on foreign targets.”
Fidan emphasized that since 1999, MİT has made such progress that it will definitely enter the top 10 among the world’s effective services.
Responding to a question about the last book he read, Fidan said that he read a very original book about Chinese culture called “I Ching” (Book of Changes) and shared his views on the book.
