The AKP’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has completed another visit to Washington and returned to Turkey. So what did he expect and find in the US capital, where he arrived with five planes and hundreds of people? What does he have in hand upon his return?
PROPAGANDA TO THE TURKISH
Erdoğan’s recent trips to the US have become quite repetitive. Arriving with a large entourage, he receives little regard. His entire trip can be described as ‘propaganda to the Turkish’.
Here’s how it goes: Upon arriving in the US, Erdoğan is greeted by his supporters. Civil society organizations set up by the Palace gather AKP members along the route Erdoğan will take or in front of the hotel where he will stay. Erdoğan takes photos with them and shows affection to a few children.
This situation is portrayed by his propaganda apparatus as “a wave of love for Erdoğan in the US!” In reality, if Erdoğan and his guards did not attack journalists or protesters, Americans wouldn’t even notice. After all, this is the capital of the world and politicians from various countries visit daily.
In the second phase, Erdoğan gives speeches at ‘think tanks’. These are organizations like SETA and Turkish Heritage, also established and funded by the Palace. Numan Kurtulmuş also gave a speech at SETA.
If the meeting is in New York, it’s held at the Turkish House with the same people. The Turkish media sell this event as, “Erdoğan met with leading think tanks in the US, received great attention!” In reality, the audience is his own team, with a few Americans brought by lobbying firms, but those who follow the pro-government media don’t know this.
If time permits, Erdoğan visits the mosque of the Directorate of Religious Affairs near Washington DC and takes photos with representatives of some Muslim groups. This event is also exaggerated in the Turkish media.
The list could go on. Erdoğan’s trips have been generally like this for the past decade.
He is not given a platform at any reputable think tank, nor is he interviewed by any major media outlet. Biden is nearing the end of his term but has not even invited Erdoğan to the White House.
Erdoğan’s program in Washington, where he came for the NATO meeting, developed in the usual way. His expectation of a one-on-one meeting with Biden was again unmet.
FIVE PLANES, LUXURY HOTEL
The most striking aspect of Erdoğan’s trip was that he came to Washington with five planes. One of them was a military cargo plane, which always carries Erdoğan’s official vehicles wherever he goes. No other leader brought their official car to the NATO meeting!
The planes were parked at Dulles Airport, costing thousands of dollars every minute. However, the Erdoğan regime, which says “there is no austerity in dignity,” continued this extravagance by staying at DC’s most expensive hotel.
The hotel, once owned by Donald Trump and now operated by Hilton under the luxury segment ‘Astoria’, is the most expensive in Washington.
Of course, Erdoğan didn’t stay in a standard room! They almost booked the entire hotel with the entourage. A state delegation will not stay in a hostel, but no other country arrives in such large numbers and settles in the most luxurious hotel.
For example, the prime ministers of Finland and Sweden came together on a small rented plane. Sweden’s per capita income is about $60,000, almost six times that of Turkey. But neither the media nor the opposition in Turkey holds this extravagance accountable, so Erdoğan and his team continue to treat state resources as limitless.
WHAT DID ERDOĞAN ACCOMPLISH?
Erdoğan brought along 22 writers and media executives. Yet, we didn’t see any substantial analysis or news about the summit from them. Instead, we read headlines about how much attention Erdoğan received and how he left his mark on the summit with his speech.
Of course, in reality, none of this happened!
They tried to market a routine welcoming photo from Biden as “showing close attention.” They portrayed a casual chat at the summit as a bilateral meeting. In short, as always, they tried to move forward with perception games.
DISCORD?
There isn’t much to headline from Erdoğan’s bilateral meetings and his speech at the summit. However, his press conference on the last day of the summit and his comments on the way back are noteworthy.
Because what he said about Syria and Assad is significant. Recently, he has been sending friendly messages to Assad, and he did the same at the NATO meeting in front of the world media. He said, “Let’s end the discord between us,” addressing Assad.
If you don’t know about the Syrian issue and the bloodshed caused by Erdoğan, Hakan Fidan, and Ahmet Davutoğlu, you might think there are minor differences between Turkey and Syria. However, Erdoğan and his team are as responsible as Assad for the deaths of over 600,000 Syrians.
Erdoğan now blames Ahmet Davutoğlu for everything. Frankly, this was the most memorable part of the three-day summit.
He made similar statements on his way back. So, it’s clear; the entire blame for the Syrian policy will be placed on Ahmet Davutoğlu, and Hakan Fidan and Erdoğan will be exonerated.
On the other hand, Erdoğan is confused. More precisely, the ropes he is trying to juggle are getting tangled. Think about it; for the first time in NATO history, a statement targeting China was made. It was signed by the heads of state of 32 countries, including Erdoğan. Yet, the same Erdoğan is trying to become a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, led by China and Russia. Meanwhile, the organization he is a member of targets China and Russia.
Erdoğan easily retracts his statements, but this contradiction has not gone unnoticed by NATO member countries. Moreover, Turkey, which has not joined the sanctions against Russia, is subject to CAATSA sanctions. It is a NATO member but cannot get F-35s, and we are going door to door to get Eurofighters from Europe.
The main agenda of the NATO Summit was Ukraine.
However, Erdoğan’s agenda was Gaza and the fight against terrorism. But Gaza wasn’t even mentioned in the final communiqué. While NATO is planning for the war in Ukraine to end quickly and for Putin to lose, Erdoğan is betting on the prolongation of the process and the continuation of the war.
In short, there is a significant difference in mentality between NATO and the Erdoğan regime. So, did Erdoğan return completely empty-handed?
Not really. NATO will provide 40 billion Euros in aid to Ukraine over the next year. Turkey will contribute 1 billion Euros of this amount. Given today’s economic conditions, it’s not a small sum.
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