OPINION:
It seems that Russian President Vladimir Putin gave Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan an offer he couldn’t refuse. Turkey has been keen to please its new Russian Godfather after Russia turned the screws economically and militarily on NATO’s southern flank. Putin militarized Armenia on Turkey’s border with the Caucasus and shut off Turkish imports.
After apologizing profusely and kissing Putin’s ring, Turkey now says that Russia can use its famous Incirlik air base, a significant facility in NATO’s southern flank.
Is Turkey still part of NATO? Or is it a country willing to sell out the alliance to the Russians, the Islamic State terror group or the highest bidder? I never thought I’d see the day a NATO country capitulated to the Kremlin, but under the pathetic leadership of the Obama administration, nothing should surprise me.
The statement came from Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu during his interview with TRT channel. The top diplomat has acknowledged that Moscow might be given the green light to use Turkey’s Incirlik air base to engage Islamic State targets in Syria. As of now, Russian aircraft make their sorties from Khmeimim air base in Syria’s Latakia province, RT reports.
“We will cooperate with everybody who is fighting Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL),” Mr. Cavusoglu said, pointing out that “Ankara has opened the Incirlik air base to all those wishing to join the active fight.”
“Why not cooperate with Russia in the same manner? Turkey is ready for such cooperation. Terrorism is our common enemy. Joint efforts are important to avoid negative incidents [among sides fighting ISIS],” the minister said.
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