December 2009

Dear friends of Israel:

An old saying goes like this: "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." In a reverse sense it is also true when we say: "The friend of my enemy is my enemy." This is why the statement of the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyib Erdogan has raised a lot of alarm in Israel. Erdogan has said that Iran's President Ahmadinejad is a friend of Turkey. During the last months the formerly good relations between Israel and Turkey have undergone a profound change of orientation. Three events reveal the extent of this change.

First Turkey abruptly excluded Israel from participation in the annual "Anatolian Eagle" air force exercise which had taken place on October 11. This decision was applauded by the Syrian government, but has caused Israel to reconsider her relations with Turkey.

The second event took place two days later, when Syria's Foreign Minister Muallem announced that Turkish and Syrian forces had just carried out maneuvers near Ankara. Muallem rightly called this an important development.

Thirdly, ten Turkish ministers joined their Syrian counterparts under the auspices of the just-established "Turkey-Syria High Level Strategic Cooperation Council". During that meeting the ministers signed almost 40 bilateral agreements. Moreover, they decided to hold a comprehensive joint land military exercise in April 2010. The council's concluding joint statement announced the formation of a long-term strategic partnership between the two sides. The Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoglu explained: "The council's spirit is common destiny, history and future; we will build the future together." His counterpart Muallem called the get-together a "festival to celebrate" the two peoples.

Bilateral relations have been dramatically reversed from a decade earlier, when Ankara came perilously close to war with Syria. But improved ties with Damascus are only one part of a larger effort by Ankara to enhance relations with regional and Muslim states – a strategy enunciated by Davutoglu in his influential 2000 book, Strategic Depth: Turkey's International Position. Davutoglu envisions reduced conflict with neighbors and Turkey emerging as a regional power, a sort of modernized Ottoman Empire. Implicit in this strategy is a distancing of Turkey from the West in general and from Israel in particular.

The above information is taken from an article that has appeared in the English language daily "Jerusalem Post", under the heading Turkey: An ally no more. In the Israeli media numerous comments and articles have been written about this topical subject.

Syria, Iran, Iraq and Turkey are the four countries that are located at the river Euphrates. In Revelation 9:13-18 we read that in the future a devastating war will break out in this region. Once more we can see how Biblical statements are literally fulfilled, although big efforts have been made to maintain Turkey's ties with the West.

In spite of the threatening developments in this world we can place our confidence in Him who let His angels announce: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favour rests." I greet you with these encouraging words and a warm Shalom, wishing you a blessed holiday season.

Fredi Winkler

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