A furore has erupted in Turkey after the statement of the Commander of the Naval Forces, Admiral Ercüment Tatlıoğlu, "We do not want NATO and the US in the Black Sea. Our goal is to respect Montreux. The Black Sea must not be turned into the Middle East."
The unacceptable statements of the Turkish Naval Chief of Staff against NATO-US cause a storm of protests
He said the above in his speech at the "133rd anniversary of the establishment of the Naval Petty Officer Schools" on November 18,
According to Turkish media, "some circles have launched a smear campaign against Tatlıoğlu and naval officers, as in the conspiracy cases," which notes:
"Following this statement, while some circles have been continuing for two weeks a smear campaign against Tatlıoğlu through their social media accounts, Alper Görmüş, the news architect of the "Piracy Diaries" news that laid the groundwork for the conspiracy cases, also wrote an article against Tatlıoğlu.
Görmüş wrote on the website called "Serbertiyet" about Tatlıoğlu and the Navy officers that "opposition to US-NATO goes hand in hand with Russia's sympathies" , causing a backlash.
Tatlioğlu gave government messages to the US with his statements
Speaking to Haberglobal.com.tr, retired Intelligence Colonel Coşkun Başbuğ said that "the US never came to the line we wanted; like in Syria and Iraq, messages are given within the framework of state policy in the Black Sea as well."
Stating that the US is giving indirect messages to Turkey instead of responding directly, Başbuğ said: "Anti-Turkish discussions are conducted through the so-called liberal circles, especially FETO. They are trying to smear Turkey with slanders that it is pro-Russian and Eurasian."
Behind it all is the CIA and FETO
"Turkey's state policies are clear. No one can have an American or Russian approach. The slander against naval officers is an American finger pointing. The CIA's slanderous activities show that Turkey is on the right track," he said.
Retired Colonel Dursun Çiçek also pointed out that similar smear campaigns were carried out on the basis of FETO conspiracy cases and said:
"FETÖ and anti-Turkey individuals and organizations continue their efforts to create a negative perception. They are the ones who speak and in their own words try to discredit our Admirals and Officers," he said.
The Montreux Convention
Retired Vice Admiral Kadir Sağdıç drew attention to the content of the Montreux Convention saying: "Due to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, warships of any country cannot enter the Black Sea. The Commander of the Navy is making a statement that is consistent with both our national interests and Montreux."
"The fact that the Straits are closed to foreign warships is a situation related to the Russia-Ukraine war. Montreux is an extremely critical and vital for Turkey's sovereignty.
Our state policy is already clear. It seems that the balance in the Russia-Ukraine war will change against Zelensky in the coming days. While Europe's coffers are empty, the US has turned its attention to Israel.
When we call our officers "pro-Russian" because they invoke the Montreux Convention , it is like playing the FETO game."
The Russian-Turkish plan to control the Black Sea
Russia and Turkey have drawn up a plan to turn the Black Sea into a lake, with the Turkish naval chief of staff acting as Erdogan's "rabbit" with his statements
Erdogan looks forward to sharing the Black Sea with his friend Putin after the end of the war in Ukraine, by satelliteing Romania-Bulgaria-Ukraine, which have negligible naval forces compared to those of Russia and Turkey.
A stepping stone for this is the "Trilateral Initiative" involving only Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria, for the disarmament of the Black Sea under Erdogan's "tutelage".
He wants the Turkish President to elevate the Black Sea as a Turkish "mare nostrum" using it as a lever to pressure the US-NATO to serve its own purposes, excluding them from any activity in it.
Indicative of how Turkey sees its position in NATO vis-à-vis Russia is the arrangement of the Turkish navy and its many bases in the Aegean-NE Mediterranean compared to almost none in the Black Sea.
