Syrian Downing of Turkish Plane Adds to Strain on Both Regimes
Tulin Daloglu writes that Turkey and Syria will not go to war because of a downed Turkish warplane, but that this is not the first time Turkey has lost citizens to its neighbors’ actions. The AKP government's attempts to maintain stability in its relationship with Tehran threaten Turkish credibility as the number of incidents with Iran also rises.
Turkey and Syria will not go to war because of a downed Turkish warplane, but the incident will put new pressure on the Assad regime to relinquish authority, while Turkey’s credibility as a rising regional power will also be scrutinized.
Since the Syrians brought down the Turkish reconnaissance flight on Friday, the ruling AKP government has reacted with moderation. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to “decisively take the necessary steps” once the incident is “fully brought to light.”
On Sunday (June 24), Turkey called a meeting of NATO member states for this Tuesday to discuss possible next steps. Erdogan also met with the leaders of three opposition parties — CHP, MHP and BDP, who have representation at the Turkish Parliament — to brief them on the incident.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, head of the chief opposition party, the CHP, said after the meeting that while the opposition appreciates the government’s outreach, they did not hear anything new or different from what Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu shared with the public earlier in the day during an interview on the state television.
