Events in Egypt and Syria continue to take horrific turns, with no end in sight. So far, Turkish leaders have taken a bold stand in speaking openly about the unbearable atrocities in the region by blaming the West, the Russians, the Iranians and the Arabs for failing to find a solution in the beginning. The issue is not whether Turkey is wrong to call out these events for what they are and invite the international community to action, but what Turkey is doing to prevent the situation from worsening.
Alas, it was quite stunning when Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu shared with the public that Turkey had sent its intelligence chief to Egypt, days before the coup took place, to meet with now-ousted President Mohammed Morsi. “Our prime minister sent our friend [Hakan Fidan, head of Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT)] to Egypt on a special assignment 10 to 15 days before the coup. There were talks with Morsi and security officials,” he said on Aug. 21 during a live TV interview with Kanal 24. “Fidan was dispatched to Egypt because the Turkish government considered the situation [in the country] critical.”
Critical it was, but Turkey did not push the international community to take a bolder stand against the military in advance of the coup. Due to Turkey’s staunch rhetoric against the July 3 Egyptian coup, one may question whether the MIT chief knew that a coup was in the making or not. The answer to this question may also be critical in determining Turkey’s position in understanding the turbulent politics of the Middle East.
Davutoglu also revealed that he asked to meet with Morsi after the coup in an attempt to help resolve the crisis between the Muslim Brotherhood and the military, but the current Egyptian administration turned the request down. “They said, ‘This is his second home. He is welcome to visit anytime, but we will not let him see the detained leaders.’” Davutoglu then explained why he decided against a visit to Cairo. In the absence of a meeting with Morsi, he said, a visit would be regarded as expressing support for the coup, and therefore he chose not to go.
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