We are losing Afrin, the next is Hatay

YENI CAG

SEPTEMBER 7

AHMET TAKAN

We have one eye on Idlib, one on currencies. Let me say off the top: Turkey is paralyzed! If you look at the image presented by those in power, everything is a bed of roses in Turkey…The ‘pool media’ publish photographs with plenty of smiles in them and news pieces that are full of support for Turkey. The facts on the ground are completely different. They headlined “15-trillion meeting in London” when Erdogan’s son-in-law and Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak met the senior managers of 11 of the world’s largest financial institutions. There was not a single column on the results of the London meetings from the same ‘pool media’ when the son-in-law came back to Ankara. I had short conversations with my economy-oriented sources about what happened in London. I regret to say that the result was a “fiasco”, in their own words. The “big meeting” in London was mediated by – their name will stay anonymous - a golf friend of Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and a Turk who has banking activities in London. According to one source: “There were no results but these two people screwed Turkey when they were paid for their mediation activities.” The picture is also sad in terms of our Syria foreign policy. We are about to lose control in Afrin. The PKK/

YPG is attacking the Free Syrian Army (FSA) forces intensively. The Turkish Armed Forces withdrew to the center of Afrin to avoid losses. As this was not enough, the FSA forces began to fight among themselves. The FSA members fleeing from war are trying to cross to Turkey. Control can pass to the YPG at any moment. The Manbij agreement with the U.S. once again ended with fiasco. Assad is acting together with Russia, the U.S. and the YPG. Our people are trying to influence Assad over Russia. The YPG will remain as the guardian of the U.S. and Russia will get its share. We will be left with our losses! Even more painful, we will lose Hatay while we fight for Idlib. Then what?