Afrasianet - The Ottoman dream did not depart from the imagination of the Turkish president, who is looking to revive the Ottoman Empire, establishing that by expanding outside
Turkey, especially in Syria, Libya and Azerbaijan.
Libya
In the words of the concerned parties, and in this context, the Libyan economic analyst Mahmoud Al-Aoun, a former director of the Mellita oil company, says that Ankara's economic ambitions in Libya are no longer hidden, adding that the one who examines the statements of Turkish government officials and their movements in the Libyan file becomes clear to him Turkish interests In Libya and the motives for its intervention and support for the reconciliation government, which revolves around the Libyan funds and oil fields, indicating that the reconciliation government seems unable today and incapable of rejecting the Turkish conditions and offers that want to obtain the largest share of reconstruction projects and commercial deals, and want to participate in managing the oil fields Because of the military and political support it is receiving from Turkey.
This means that Turkey sets its foot on the northern entrance to Africa, at the beginning of the return to Ottoman domination over its former colonies.
Syria
The Syrian case represents the clearest example of Turkish ambitions in the region, where its moves were aimed at long-term control, so that Turkey took a set of steps, some of which could be described as war crimes, with "Ankara" launching several aggressive military operations in the north heading for a comprehensive Turkish operation.
"Ankara" has taken several measures to bring about demographic changes by replacing the displaced from the areas that the Syrian government regained control over in place of the indigenous population, the majority of whom are Kurds, under the pretext of removing the Kurdish threat.
The Turkification process in northern Syria has reached school books, road signs and institutions that have become in Turkish, and the establishment of branches of Turkish universities as well as goods coming from Turkey.
Azerbaijan
Perhaps the latest steps taken by Turkey in Azerbaijan were the decision to use ID cards to move between Turkey and Azerbaijan into effect, according to the
Turkish Anadolu Agency. Under the new procedure, Turkish and Azerbaijani citizens can travel between the two countries using personal “identity cards” instead of passports, and stay for a period of 90 days without the need to obtain a visa.
This decision comes after the Turkish intervention in the war on behalf of Azerbaijan against Armenia in the conflict over the two countries, Nagorny Karabakh.
The army is one of the tools of Turkish expansion
The Turkish army is spread over a wide geographical area outside his country, up to about 3 thousand km, and it seemed that the separatist Nagorny Karabakh region was the new region in which the Turks were deployed militarily. In late September, battles erupted between Armenia and Azerbaijan against the backdrop of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, and all international powers called for a ceasefire, with the exception of Turkey, which rose to support its ally Azerbaijan, and imposed the conditions required to stop the fighting.
Foreign Policy magazine states that Turkey's direct intervention in the conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region is the latest episode in Ankara's military adventures abroad. Indeed,
Turkey began to intervene in the bloody conflict in the region by supplying arms to Azerbaijan, and Armenia also accused the Turkish air force of being involved in the battles, bearing in mind that there is a Turkish military base in this country.
The government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent hundreds of Syrian mercenaries from its areas of control in Syria to Azerbaijan to fight alongside it in the battles, a step that took place in Libya and preceded Turkey's direct intervention there.
The number of Syrian mercenaries sent to Azerbaijan reached about 1,200 armed men, most of them from the Syrian Turkmen component, and belonging to the "Sultan Murad" and "Al-Amashat" factions, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Therefore, "Instead of achieving stability in the region, Ankara seemed intent on supporting its ally Baku," And that Turkey's quest to exert greater influence in the South Caucasus is not surprising.
And in the event that the Turkish military intervention took place, as a result of the expanding circle of battles, Ankara's military and strategic spread would extend over an area of more than 3 thousand kilometers.
The Turkish forces and allied militias spread a strip that extends from the South Caucasus to North Africa, through the Middle East, the Persian Gulf and the Horn of Africa, and they are as follows:
Azerbaijan
Turkish forces are present in Azerbaijan, specifically with at least one military base, and they can use an air base.
Libya
Erdogan sent ground and naval forces, in addition to drones, to Libya, which supported Fayez al-Sarraj's government, which worsened the situation. Turkey is seeking, through this military presence, to achieve material gains, including billions of dollars in contracts that are almost forgotten, as well as the maritime agreement that strengthens Turkey's position to acquire large areas in the Mediterranean waters, as Ankara is in conflict with both Nicosia and Athens to obtain gas and oil wealth.
Syria
The Turkish military intervention in northern Syria has been one of the largest external operations of the Turkish army, since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World War I. In 2016, Erdogan sent troops to Syria, and the military operation eventually led to Ankara's seizure of large areas of war-torn northern Syria. Ankara has established factions loyal to it, and it intends to create a buffer zone to accommodate the Syrian refugees who fled their country.
In 2019, Turkey launched a new operation against the Kurds in order to drive them away from its southern borders, as it says, but the operation was "stopped" after Russia intervened.
So will the Ottoman dream come true? The Turks have a policy of expansion and ambitions to restore what they consider to be the glories of the Ottoman Empire, which in reality are the glories of the invasion, occupation, brutal killing and plundering the wealth and property of the countries that fall under this invasion.
Turkey has made its geostrategic ambitions in the Caucasus and Central Asia, from Azerbaijan, which is rich in hydrocarbons and whose people speak a branching language of Turkish, its main ally in the region, a friendship strengthened by common hostility to Armenia.
As against Russia, the largest regional power, as it maintains closer relations with Armenia than its relations with Azerbaijan.
The Russian Foreign Ministry, during the eruption of the conflict, had said in a statement that "it is unacceptable for any additional escalation that would threaten regional security" in the Caucasus region, and called on both parties to the conflict to "exercise restraint." According to analysts, the Ottoman dream is out of reach, as Erdogan is embroiling his country in wars and foreign hostilities to escape the growing opposition to his policies in light of the poor economic performance of his regime, and the resulting high rates of inflation and unemployment until most university graduates have become unemployed in an unprecedented way, in addition to Public condemnation of his attempt to restrict freedoms and completely close social media platforms. Under these conditions, it is not possible to achieve imagination far from reality.