Citing the assassination of Andrei Karlov, Turkey's oldest English-language daily worries for the safety of Dutch diplomats
This post first appeared on Russia Insider
You know things are bad when you start fretting about the possibility of "another" murdered diplomat.
In the wake of Ankara's call for jihad against the Dutch, Turkey's oldest English-language daily, Hürriyet Daily News, has reminded its readers that "Turkey does not need a second diplomatic assassination". The newspaper is of course referring to the brutal, voyeuristic murder of Russia's ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, which took place in Ankara in December of last year.
Yes, Turkey definitely does not need another murdered diplomat on its soil. This is an understatement, but we applaud Hürriyet's advocacy for common sense:
the fact remains that the Turkish state failed to protect the [Russian] ambassador, which will remain a black stain on Turkey’s reputation.
We do not need another taint. It is perfectly normal for Turks to demonstrate in front of the Dutch consulate in Istanbul, but it is hugely worrying to see that police were unable to prevent an intruder from entering the consulate compound, changing the flag from a Dutch to a Turkish flag. That man could have harmed those present in the building, and let’s not forget that all entry and exit to and from the consulate was supposed to have been stopped for security reasons.
What would have happened if the intruder had succeeded entering the consulate, harming the Dutch consul general and his wife, who were effectively hostages in their own building?
Hürriyet Daily News is asking a very important question. Most of Ankara's regional neighbors and allies have expressed unease about the current state of Turkish "diplomacy". Tehran recently warned all Iranians against traveling to Turkey. ("We have to take such measures to protect the lives of our citizens", says Speaker of Iranian Parliament Ali Larijani.)
Is Ankara paying attention?
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan can't decide who he hates more: His European allies or his American allies. This constant source of frustration has resulted in disastrous NATO squabbles in northern Syria, and the ongoing KebabGate with the Dutch.
Moscow appears to be open to cooperation with Ankara — hence the revival of Turkish Stream, as well as the Syria ceasefire brokered between Moscow, Tehran and Ankara. But Russia has no illusions about Turkey.
Meanwhile, Turkey braces for more politically-motivated violence.
This post first appeared on Russia Insider
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