SINGAPORE — On April 18, Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, a prominent critic of America who earlier lambasted Washington for backing the 2016 coup d’état attempt against President Tayyip Erdoğan, harshly criticized the collective West, stating that the world hates the United States and that Europe is an American pawn, and emphasizing Turkey’s independence.
The Turkish daily newspaper DokuzEylul Gazette reported that Soylu’s comments to young people at Topkapı Social Facilities in Fatih, Istanbul, mirrored rising anti-American sentiments among some parts of the global community.
He blamed the collective West for cultural imperialism, asserting to his audience that Western nations were attempting to impose their habits and values on the world.
“We are facing cultural terrorism,” he posited. “We are facing cultural terrorism that aims to destroy our family structure, morality, elder, young, civilization, history, religion, values of belief, tradition, and what our mothers and fathers have taught us.”
He asserted that the United States has lost — and continues to lose — much of its global credibility and that “the whole world hates America.”
Soylu claimed that European leaders have also lost their credibility owing to their lack of strategic autonomy from Washington. He also dismissed Europe’s importance in the global arena, pointing out the Continent’s aging population and relatively lackluster economic output compared to previous years.
“There is no such thing as Europe, don’t exaggerate it in your mind. There is America,” Soylu proclaimed, while portraying Europe as a “donkey” of the United States and alluding to Erdoğan as a “revolutionary.”
Discussing Turkey’s independence, he stated, “We saw that America and Europe were struggling. The pandemic happened, and China’s production stopped. This worked in our favor. Our exports jumped from $168 billion to $254 billion. Employment reached 32 million from 26 million. Because we are close to the European market, they can benefit from our production. That’s why they started to source production from Türkiye. Türkiye increased its production.”
He elaborated:
We entered Syria without asking Europe or America. This is a first in Türkiye’s history. We entered northern Iraq without asking them. The issue of Karabakh was resolved with Azerbaijan without asking them. Closed Varosha became open Varosha. Look, all of these are internationally significant matters. Why? Because Türkiye has become a country that stands on its own feet. Did we pay a price? Yes, we did. Yesterday was the anniversary of Turgut Özal’s death, they didn’t spare anything for Özal. They executed the Prime Minister. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has achieved such a great feat in this country that cannot be expressed in writing or from top to bottom. Now we have produced TOGG [electric] cars. Shall I tell you what will happen if there is a change in power in this country? The plan is clear. It has been done before. They will bring a launch to Türkiye and say, “We are growing this with this American company and selling it to countries around the world and Europe.” They will come out and make announcements.
Referring to the upcoming general and presidential elections on May 14 this year, Soylu remarked:
Türkiye is changing the story. This election is the election where this story will change completely. That’s why America is exerting pressure, Europe is exerting pressure. That’s why Kandil is worried and the PKK is exerting pressure. This is not just Tayyip Erdoğan’s election, it is the election for Türkiye’s future generations. It is the election for Türkiye’s complete independence. Tayyip Erdoğan has taken great risks for this country and to change this story.
We have seen how Europe’s paint mixed with America’s paint. We grew up hearing this: “England is the cradle of democracy.” Yes, how is it a cradle? There is a constitutional system, there is a king, there is a queen, what are they doing in England? Does anyone know? For example, what does a king or a queen or a prime minister represent within a system? We actually saw this very clearly in recent days. They changed their prime minister three times in a row, and now they will change again, but they can’t change too quickly to avoid embarrassment.
Soylu’s remarks came around two months after he vehemently slammed U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Jeff Flake for allegedly plotting against the country, saying that “Every US ambassador who arrives in Türkiye is hurrying to find out how to make a coup possible in Türkiye…. I address the US ambassador from here. I know the journalists you made write articles. Take your dirty hands off Türkiye. I’m being very clear…. I very well know how you would like to create strife in Türkiye. Take your grinning face off from Türkiye.”
Regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Turkey’s foreign minister, said last week that the Turkish opposition may drag the country into the Ukraine conflict if it wins the elections, as it would “pick a certain side and tip the balance.”
“We are currently pursuing a well-balanced policy [in relation to the situation in Ukraine]…. What’s in it for us to support a certain side and become a party to the conflict? And those who say ‘we should pick a certain side and tip the balance,’ will draw our country into the war, if they come to power,” Çavuşoğlu said during his visit to the Turkish city of Manavgat. The top diplomat then remarked that Turkey is not “a pawn” of other countries, but a sovereign state that “makes its own rules.”
In late March, Erdoğan also declared that Ankara would not permit the West to draw it into tensions with Russia, blasting Western countries for trying to meddle with the outcome of the elections. “Global powers from Europe to America are making active efforts to influence the election on May 14. Despicable campaigns are being carried out against me for that purpose,” he said.
Romanian Senator Diana Iovanovici Șoșoacă earlier claimed that globalist powers such as the United States triggered the recent series of quakes and tremors to penalize Erdoğan for not aligning with globalist interests.
What Turkish politicians’ anti-American rhetoric and downplaying of Europe would mean for the future of Turkey’s ties with the globalist West remains to be seen, but it is likely that the U.S. and Europe would not brush these sentiments under the carpet.
