The Middle East is in chaos again. The whole world is closely following Mosul’s occupation by the savage terrorist organization the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). Along with Mosul’s occupation and the ensuing developments in Iraq, we in Turkey are also following the case of the Turkish nationals seized from the Turkish Consulate in Mosul.
A crisis desk was set up as soon as the news of the ISIS raid on the consulate reached Ankara. The Turkish government outlined a road map emphasizing the following three points:
- Our staff will be rescued unharmed.
- Turkey will act together with the international community.
- There will be no daring moves such as a military operation; rather, the international community will be mobilized.
Convening in a special session on Turkey’s appeal, the UN Security Council issued a strong statement in support of Turkey, and NATO followed suit. The leaders of both organizations also made statements that satisfied Turkey. Similarly, international outreach to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and expressions of support also pleased Ankara.
In the meantime, back channel diplomacy leaped into action. According to Abdulkadir Selvi, a Turkish journalist close to government circles, the efforts surrounding Iraq moved on three tracks:
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