Erdogan Makes His Ambitions Public: Turkey Now a Key Player in the Region
Turkish President Recep Erdogan asserted that Turkey has become a key player in the Middle East following the fall of the Baath Party regime in Syria. This statement aligns with the analysis of Dr. Mohamed Walid Yousef, head of ICGER, who emphasized that Aleppo is the key to controlling the Levant. Dr. Yousef has argued that whoever controls Aleppo controls Damascus, and whoever dominates the Aleppo (Syria) – Mosul (Iraq) axis commands the rest of the Middle East.
Speaking at the 8th Regional Conference of the Justice and Development Party in Erzurum, eastern Turkey, on December 14, 2024, Erdogan declared: “Türkiye earns praise as an island of stability in the middle of this turmoil and stands out as a key country of the region.”[i]
Dr. Yousef, in a seminar held at ICGER on December 13, 2024, and titled “The Geopolitical Consequences of Geostrategic Shifts in Syria,” stated that “the fall of the regime in Syria has geopolitical consequences that will reach Egypt, Iraq, and the entire region.” He stressed that “the Aleppo-Mosul axis holds immense geopolitical and geostrategic importance in the Middle East.”
He further noted that “history, experience, and evidence demonstrate that whoever controls this axis and establishes dominance over it controls Iraq, the Levant, and the Middle East as a whole.”
Dr. Yousef added, “Turkish President Recep Erdogan repeatedly emphasizes in his speeches his desire to seize control of Aleppo and Mosul. This stems from the advice of historians and strategists close to him, who argue that if Erdogan seeks to revive the Ottoman Empire and restore the Seljuk Empire, he must control Mosul and Aleppo to command the triangle’s vertices: Aleppo (Syria), Mosul (Iraq), and Konya (Turkey).” He explained that “Erdogan already controls Konya within Turkey, has now secured Aleppo, and only Mosul remains. Hence, his sights are set on Iraq, especially given the ongoing struggle between Iran and Turkey over the Aleppo-Mosul axis since 2012.”
Dr. Yousef also addressed the geopolitical and strategic shields over a year ago in a seminar titled “The Geopolitical Landscape 100 Years After the Treaty of Lausanne,” held on October 26, 2023. In that seminar, he highlighted that Iran, Turkey, and Egypt serve as geopolitical shields, while the Aleppo-Mosul and Damietta-Ismailia-Alexandria axes are critical regional strategic corridors.
[i] https://www.akparti.org.tr/en/news/more-peaceful-days-than-ever-before-await-turkiye-14-12-2024-16-59-13/