Turkey seeks to spread anarchy in Mideast to revive Ottoman Empire: Analyst

Press TV has interviewed Danny Makki, a Middle East expert from London, and Richard Wietz, an expert with the Wikistrat from Washington, to discuss the role of Turkey in foreign-backed unrest and violence in Syria.

Makki says Turkey believes that the Middle East region is still an “Ottoman colony,” which it can use and abuse as it wants, but some Arab nations such as Syria and Iraq have been completely against such ambitious foreign policy of Ankara.

Turkey has supported terrorist groups including the ISIL and al-Nusra Front in Iraq and Syria, he argues, adding that the extremist groups are seeking to promote terrorism and spread anarchy in the Middle East.

The political expert also says the Turkish government has been a main supporter of extremist and radical groups in Syria and Iraq in a bid to trigger chaos and bloodshed. He adds Ankara is playing with fire and the foreign policy of intervening in the internal affairs of other nations will backfire.

Turkey enjoyed popularity in the region and in the Arab world, but the reputation has been destroyed because of Ankara’s blatant meddling in Syria, he says.

Makki concludes that Ankara’s claim on arming a so-called moderate group in Syria is baseless, because there is no moderate militant in the war-stricken neighboring country.

For his turn, Wietz says the Turkish government is trying to restrict the movement of any support for the ISIL militants in Iraq or Syria, but Ankara supports opponents of the Syrian government.

M. W