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Shooting of Turkish jet no unilateral action, expert warns
Many other actors, among them Russia, China, Iran and Iraq are also involved, he said.
“There are countries in the region that consider Syria as a resistance front for their policies. Undoubtedly, these countries are Russia, Iran, China and Iraq. By shooting down the Turkish plane, these countries wanted to give a message to the international community that they would protect this front at all costs, including a war,” said Erol.
Russia, China and Iran have been supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since anti-government protests erupted across the country last March.
“The downed plane incident is concrete evidence of Syria’s perception of its neighbor, Turkey, as an enemy due to its support for the Syrian opposition,” said Erol, adding that the Syrian regime wanted to send a clear message to Turkey by shooting down the plane.
Syria and Turkey had close ties before the Syrian revolt began last March, but since then Turkey has become one of the strongest critics of Syria’s regime.
“The incident is an open challenge from the Syrian regime. Turkey was not prepared for this challenge. The question is, how will Turkey respond to this action?” said Erol, adding that Turkey does not have a substantial crisis policy. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said Turkey’s response will be clear after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s scheduled meeting with opposition leaders on Sunday. “We will, without any hesitation, decisively take the necessary steps,” he added. “If Turkey does not respond to this challenge, it will lose its reputation and deterrence in the region. Turkey, before taking any action, should think multi-dimensionally by taking into account Russia, Iran, China and even Iraq,” said Erol.
Disagreeing with Erol, Süleyman Şensoy, the head of the Turkish Asian Center for Strategic Studies (TASAM), told Today’s Zaman that Turkey should avoid taking aggressive initiatives, adding that international law should be followed. “Turkey should take the initiative in the framework of international law. After the case is finalized, Turkey should ask for an apology and compensation,” said Şensoy.
“Currently, Syria is a front country. It is a point of division between the Eastern bloc and Western bloc. Therefore, any undesirable potential conflict between Turkey and Syria will not be an issue between two neighbors but will evolve into an issue between East and West,” said Şensoy.
“A country that is not ready for war cannot make peace either,” the head of Terrorism and Security Studies at the International Strategic Research Organization (USAK) in Ankara, İhsan Bal, said, adding that a country should be ready for war at any time, but this does not mean to launch a war.
There is no need to engage in warmongering, said Bal, adding that the path of diplomacy should be followed. The Turkish government should act on behalf of Turkish citizens and the Turkish state accordingly, he said.
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