Turkey Flexes its Muscle in East Mediterranean as Power Grows Written by David Rosenberg Published Sunday, September 06, 2011

With increased naval presence, Ankara wants to show flag, but not risk confrontation Turkey has economic as much as political interests at stake as it vows to take a more assertive role in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, but Ankara risks entangling itself in military and legal confrontations with Israel along the way, analysts say. Turkey’s new stance was unveiled by Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Friday and subsequently elaborated by lower-level diplomats amid Turkey’s deteriorating relations with Israel over the Mavi Marmara incident 15 months ago. But Ankara’s new assertiveness was also directed at Cyprus, which is embarking on offshore gas and oil exploration plans next month. Analysts said the new assertiveness marked the latest step in Turkey’s efforts to revive the regional power and prestige of the Ottoman era when it ruled over much of the Middle East and North Africa. Ankara doesn’t seek to reestablish its rule, which came to an end after the First World War, but to become a key player through a network of closer political and commercial ties. “The days when Turkey was only Asia Minor are gone. They are doing it through economic ties. They have become a real economic power in the Muslim Middle East and beyond, to Uzbekistan and Kirghizstan,” Robbie Sabel, who teaches international law at The Hebrew University in Jerusalem, told The Media Line. “The flag follows trade.” Under Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey has worked to build ties with its neighbors in all directions, including the Arab states to its south, the central Asian republics to its east and the Balkan countries to its north, by resolving long-simmering diplomatic tensions and offering trade and tourism deals. But Israel, once a close partner and even strategic ally of Turkey, has been given a cold shoulder. “Turkey is trying to be the leading country of the region, not only militarily and diplomatically but also through its economy. The people leading Turkey understand the importance of the economy,” Salih Bicakci, associate professor of international relations at Istanbul’s Isik University He pointed to the speed with which Turkey re-opened its embassy in Libya. Turkey signed billions of dollars in contracts with the regime of deposed strongman Muamar Al-Qaddafi and wants to ensure it takes a key role in the country’s post-civil war reconstruction. Even as relations with Israel have grown tense, trade has continued to grow. Nevertheless, he said, Ankara wants a bigger role in the eastern Mediterranean. “By saying it he [Davutoglu] wants to send the message that Turkey is a protector of the region and that we don’t want to give all security issues to the European Union, the United Nations or to NATO. Turkey has a role in this region,” Bicakci said. Turkey’s new stance on the eastern Mediterranean came as part a series of steps against Israel, including a downgrade of diplomatic relations and a suspension of military cooperation, in response to the continued crisis over the Mavi Marmara incident 15 months ago. “Turkey will take every precaution it deems necessary for the safety of maritime navigation in the eastern Mediterranean,” Davutoglu said at a news conference without elaborating on what he meant by taking “every precaution.” Turkey has been demanding an official apology from Israel, as well as compensation for the nine people killed in an Israeli raid on the Mavi Marmara, a ship which was trying to breach Israel’s blockade to the Gaza Strip. Last month Israel rejected the demands. Last Thursday, however, The New York Times leaked a UN report on the Mavi Marmara incident, which concluded that the blockade was legal and that the ship’s passengers acted in an “organized and violent” way. The report blamed Israel for using excessive force that led to nine deaths, but the leak angered Ankara. more see......http://www.themedialine.org/news/news_detail.asp?NewsID=33153