KARACHI:
Apropos Dr Muhammad Ali Ehsan’s article ‘Russo-Turk geopolitical insecurities or violation of human rights?’ published in your newspaper on the 17 July. I deeply regret noticing the biased views on Turkish foreign policy, which contradict the realities and are based on outdated information about international developments.
First, the article’s attempt to equate military operations by Türkiye against the terrorist organisations in Syria to the ongoing situation in Ukraine indicates a misconception of the reality. Türkiye carried out operations in Syria based on international law, per its right to self-defence as outlined in Article 51 of the UN Charter and the relevant Security Council resolutions. The aim was to eradicate the presence of terrorist organisations that threaten both Türkiye and Syrian civilians’ security. The operations foiled the attempts to create a terror corridor on Turkish borders. It is surprising to see Türkiye’s mediation efforts between Ukraine and the Russian Federation being described as “pro-Russian action”. Türkiye’s efforts have been applauded by the international community and helped reach an agreement on a general framework for exporting Ukrainian grain.
I wish that Dr Ehsan looked at the official document on the agreement reached by Türkiye, Sweden and Finland on their accession into the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). Türkiye has always favoured the expansion of NATO and recently lifted its veto after reaching an understanding of expectations with Sweden and Finland. Likewise, Türkiye closed the Straits to warships to abide by its international responsibility under the Montreux Convention. All sides including the allies and NATO are politically advised not to make passages of warships from the straits to prevent turning the Black Sea into an area of military confrontations and tensions, which leaves the deliberation in the article baseless.
Mehmet Paçaci
Turkish Ambassador
Islamabad
Published in The Express Tribune, July 20th, 2022.
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