Ibrahim Karagül, the editor-in-chief of «Yeni Şafak», an unofficial mouthpiece of Turkey’s ruling circles, shared his thoughts on the recent border attacks by Armenia on Azerbaijan in his recent article (link). According to Karagül, these attacks are not only against Azerbaijan but also part of an international scenario aimed at countering Turkey. In his opinion, these events are directly related to the struggle for energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean and the situations in Libya, Syria and Iraq.
Karagül, a pro-government analyst and propagandist, believes that the confrontation in the Mediterranean region will spread to the Black Sea and Caspian Sea regions, especially the South and North Caucasus. One of the central issues for him will be the Turkish Stream and other transit routes from Asia to Europe that pass through this region, with Turkey playing a leading role in these projects.
Karagül believes that the UAE, Russia, France, and Iran are interested in destroying these transit routes and «closing the eastern gate,» as Turkey’s opening of these gates gives it a chance to become a key energy power in this macro-region. He claims that proxies, including Khalifa Haftar, Armenia, and communist Kurdish terrorists from the PKK and its branches in Syria and Iraq, are being used to achieve this goal.
According to the Turkish analyst, Turkey’s existence as a regional power is at stake in this big game. Therefore, Ankara will go to any length, including a war, which, according to him, is currently being prepared.
At the same time, Karagül assesses the outcome of this game optimistically for Turkey and unfavorably for its opponents. He is convinced that «Iran will lose this game. Armenia will lose. Russia will lose. The United Arab Emirates will lose. According to him, joint actions in the region with Azerbaijan, with whom Turkey «will stand until the end,» will contribute to this outcome.