The documents we’ve seen so far are similar to regular gossip news; they’ll create a level of irritation with the addressees alright, but won’t lead to a crisis.
Evaluations on Muammar al-Gaddafi’s girlfriend and Silvio Berlusconi-Vladimir Putin relations won’t lead to any trouble. However, the US State Department’s request that US diplomats gather the credit card numbers and even DNA of political leaders whose countries they are in will cause a great deal of problems -- first and foremost regarding the status of the diplomats.
This information begs the justified question of whether these individuals are actually conducting diplomatic relations or spying. This is the reason behind the rushed US statement on Sunday night, noting that their diplomats conduct work in their own fields and do not go outside of this realm. The correspondence in question is of the kind that will put the diplomats in troubled situations in the countries where they are stationed. In this case, politicians will have to be very mindful of every step they take: drinking water, using the washroom and throwing paper napkins they use into trash bins. The US administration will have to exert a great deal of effort to overcome this crisis. Another topic that is sure to be a source of trouble is North Korea, which has been cast into the international agenda with winds of war. The documents are enough to instill fear in both North Korea and China because they only confirm North Korea’s fear of being annihilated. And it gives China the options of either a united Korea or US bases on Chinese land.
As for Turkey…
Ankara’s real disappointment must not be evaluations of Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu or the prime minister’s advisors, but the stance of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
Aliyev’s stance on Turkey is taken from actual discussions that were held with him directly. Aliyev notes that he dislikes Erdoğan and the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government. This is his most natural right. But he later notes that they are opposed to Turkey being an energy center; meaning, they don’t want Turkey to gain power. This Turkey they speak of closed its doors to Armenia without any expectations in return. A recent historic opportunity for peace with Armenia came and was in line with Turkey’s “zero problem with neighbors” policy. Turkey, once again, took a step back for Azerbaijan’s sake and did not fulfill its promise to Armenia, citing a series of weak excuses.
When this agreement was in the spotlight, it was Aliyev who had the biggest problem with it. So much so that he had a group of deputies sent to Turkey in order to spread anti-government propaganda.
And Erdoğan, going to Baku for energy-related reasons, had promised that until the Nagorno-Karabakh problem is solved, the border would not be opened.
It has now become apparent that regardless of what Turkey does, the Azerbaijani administration will be an opposition on the matter of energy.
This would also be the case if Ankara were not to recognize Armenia’s existence. So why is Ankara maintaining this attitude, which places itself in a troubled spot on the international platform, for a dictator who has swindled it, forcing a people to live under difficult circumstances?
Aliyev has clearly stated to the US administration that he is opposed to the role Turkey has taken on in the region.
This is not an attitude befitting a brother and friend of a country. It’s a hypocritical stance, to say the least.
Turkey’s hand certainly does not deserve to be in such a helpless state against Azerbaijan.
The WikiLeaks documents have become documents that will ease Turkey’s stance where the Armenian issue is concerned.
Ankara must use this card well.
