Turkey:a friend in need for Pakistan

"Two countries one nation" this is how Turkish prime minister  erdogan  described turkish relationship with pakistan when he visited pakistan  last month.Turkey's response to the recent devastating flood in Pakistan make the Pakistanis believe that turkey is Pakistan's best friend when it is in trouble.

July 2010 flood was the worst natural calamity  in the entire history of Pakistan.It has claimed around 2000 lives,affected 20 million people,and caused economic loss OF around 45 billion USD.

Turkey was quick in response by donating US$5 million initially and by august it had donated more than US$18 millon to cash starved pakistan.In addition to money it had delivered more than 118 tons of humanitarian aid to pakistan.Turkish islamic NGO in addition to government has sent 450 tonns of supplies to pakistan in cargo trains.IHH is there to build permanent social projects that includes house,mosque roads etc.
In the 2005 devastating earthquake in Kashmir turkeish prime minister paid official visit to Pakistan and offered a package of US $150 million for their fellow muslim brothers.
In addition to aid in different occasions,Turkey openly supported Pakistan in Kashmir issue  when most of its Arab friends  were not interested in supporting Pakistan publicly.In 1965,1971 wars  with India turkey sided with Pakistan and helped pakistan with military aid.
Since Islamic rooted AKP party assumed power in 2002 turkish foreign policy was moving from west to east very carefully. Pakistan was seen as the best friend of turkey because of its ethnic and historical ties.It was the muslims of the sub-continent that have openly supported turkey in ww1,  defying its colonial British ruler.
Pakistan did their level best when Turkey was in danger in1999 after the eathquake.

Turkey is not even trusted by most of its NATO aliies

Can turkey ever be a full member of EU?

Turkey was  one of the founding members of council of Europe in 1949.It  has applied for full membership in 1987. EU, which is an organization of mainly European countries was officially formed  in 1993 by the treaty of Maastricht did not accept Turkey as a full member state.Countries like Greece,Bulgaria which have low profile than Turkey in all the key fields have already joined EU.Then Question might be arisen why it is not yet a full member after cooperating with European countries in almost every aspects over the last 50 years.Turkey is an active member of Nato since its foundation.It has the second largest army in Nato after USA.Turkish solders have shaded their blood in all major NATO operations.  Turkey should have claimed EU membership a lot more earlier if its contribution  to the western civilization is regarded.


The real problem lies in the history,culture and religion of the Turkish people.Turkish people are the ancestors of Ottoman empires,which has ruled a large part of Eastern Europe for a long time. More importantly Ottomans are blamed by the allegation of   killing Greeks,Armenians,Bulgarians only because they ans clre iannfidel Christians. Armenians claims  that over 1.5 million of their  ancestors were  massacared  before and after the  WW1.All the major european powers like Britain,France,Spain has such allegation against them

Israel is concerned by turkey's shift of axis

famous davous walkout

The operation cast lead was targeted to the over through  the Islamic rooted  Hamas from power in gaza,free its captive solider in gaza and to stop firing rockets from gaza to israel.Israel have gained some sort of success in bringing down the number of rockets fired at israel but it has failed to oust hamas from power,rather it has gained more popularity among the gazans.It has  even failed to free its captive colonel Gilad shalit.Israel has ended the operation with  the killings of more than 1400    Palestinians with the numerous allegations of killing innocent civilians intentionally..Israel has probably lost more than it gained in this war. The worst possible loss was its traditional ally Turkish friendship.Turkish akp led pro Islamic government took this brutal war as an opportunity to gain more support for anti-Israel movements  in turkey.The public assault of Peres in davos by Erdogan was nothing but to instigate more anti Israel feelings  in turkey.Turkish army which claims itself as the guardian of secularism of Turkey,has closer cooperation  with than the turkish government.But after watching  the reaction from the mass people in streets it failed to stop the government from taking harsh measures against Israel.

A new axix in middle east

The recent frequent visits of Syrian and Iranian presidents to Istanbul after the  Gaza flotilla raid is a clear sign of Turkey's growing relationship with anti-western governments in the middle east.Turkey's pro-Islamic government is sharply changing its foreign policy from traditional western oriented  policy to pro- Islamic foreign policy.Turkey is an active member of NATO with the second largest army after U.S.A.It's closest friend in the middle east was Israel.But things are changing very quickly after Israels invasion of Gaza.
Turkey has alienated its with the harshest critics of Israel.In 1998 Turkey and Syria were on the verge of war after Syria refused to hand over PKK leader Abdullah ocalan.

but after 2007 general  election Islamic rooted akp party assumed power for the second consecutive term and with huge public support and tried to curb the power  of the military which was seen as the guardian of  secularism in turkey.