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Qatar Tribune
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Qatar Tribune
Turkiye and Qatar enjoy robust ties: Turkish envoy
Ashraf Siddiqui Doha Ambassador of the Republic of Turkiye HE Dr Mustafa Goksu has said Turkiye and Qatar enjoy robust ties grounded in mutual trust and solidarity. Speaking at a press conference on Monday, the Turkish ambassador underscored Turkiye's gratitude for Qatar's unwavering support and reaffirmed both nations' shared commitment to peace, stability, and cooperation. The Turkish Embassy in Qatar is commemorating the ninth anniversary of Türkiye's resolute defense of its democracy on Tuesday. He expressed his deep gratitude to the Turkish people for their unwavering commitment to upholding the country's democratic institutions in the face of the failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016. He said that night Turkiye faced an unprecedented threat when the Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) sought to topple its democratically elected government through violence, attacking critical institutions and targeting civilians. The coup was defeated through the resolute stand of unarmed citizens, leaving 251 dead and over 2000 injured, and demonstrating an extraordinary commitment to constitutional order. Ambassador Goksu expressed his gratitude to the leadership of Qatar on its principled and timely support exemplified by His Highness the Amir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani who was the first leader to call President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. page 2
Qatar Tribune
14-07-2025
- Business
- Qatar Tribune
Turkish embassy to marks 9 yrs of democratic resilience against coup bid
Ashraf Siddiqui Doha The Turkish Embassy in Qatar is set to commemorate the ninth anniversary of Turkiye's resolute defence of its democracy on July 15, 2025. Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Ambassador of Turkiye to Qatar HE Dr Mustafa Goksu expressed his deep gratitude to the Turkish people for their unwavering commitment to upholding the country's democratic institutions in the face of the failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016. He said that on July 15, 2016 night, Türkiye faced an unprecedented threat when the Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) sought to topple its democratically elected government through violence, attacking critical institutions and targeting coup was defeated through the resolute stand of unarmed citizens, leaving 251 dead and over 2,000 injured, and demonstrating an extraordinary commitment to constitutional order. Ambassador Goksu emphasised Turkiye's continued fight against FETO, whose global network and clandestine methods threaten democratic governance worldwide. Expressing his gratitude to the leadership of Qatar for its principled and timely support, exemplified by the Amir of Qatar His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani being the first leader to call President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, he saidthat it remains deeply valued. He added that today, Turkiye and Qatar enjoy robust ties grounded in mutual trust and solidarity. Despite facing the challenges of attempted coups, natural disasters, and global crises, Türkiye has strengthened its democracy, economy, and international standing, the Ambassador said, underscoring Türkiye's gratitude for Qatar's unwavering support and reaffirming both nations' shared commitment to peace, stability, and cooperation. Dr Goksu highlighted the country's progress and noted that Türkiye remains a leading global tourist destination with nearly 62 million visitors in 2024. Emphasising security, he recalled decisive action against terrorism through operations in Syria, contributing to regional stability. He outlined major infrastructure achievements, including the Eurasia Tunnel, 1915 Çanakkale Bridge, and investments in renewable energy. He also detailed the rise of Türkiye's defence industry, now over 80 percent domestically produced, with advanced projects such as Bayraktar UAVs, the TCG Anadolu assault ship, and the KAAN fighter jet. The envoy pointed to a transformative foreign policy focused on sovereignty, security, and strategic autonomy, balancing ties with NATO and the EU while expanding partnerships in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Türkiye's humanitarian leadership was underscored by its status as the world's largest per capita donor and its value-based foreign policy that prioritises human dignity, he stressed. Goksu also emphasised Turkiye's active diplomacy and mediation efforts—from facilitating peace talks between Somalia and Ethiopia to brokering the Black Sea Grain Initiative in the Russia–Ukraine conflict. He reaffirmed that Turkiye will continue to support stability in Libya, Syria, Sudan, Afghanistan, and Gaza through humanitarian aid and diplomatic engagement. He noted Turkiye's role as an energy hub, its vast diplomatic network, and its commitment to multilateralism, innovation, and cultural diplomacy, reinforcing its position as a responsible and influential global actor.
Hindustan Times
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Turkey's caliphate delusions and India's security concerns
Turkey, once embodying Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's secular, modern vision, now stumbles under the iron-fisted whims of a man chasing the ghosts of the past. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has gone from reformer to radical, from statesman to strongman. His current avatar? A self-styled Caliph of the 21st century, broadcasting delusions of grandeur across the Muslim world. Let us not sugar-coat it, this is not religious revivalism. It is a well-rehearsed, high-budget cosplay of the Ottoman Empire, starring Erdoğan as the lone ranger of the Ummah. His bromance with Pakistan and hostility toward India are not products of ideology but ambition. He treats it as an Influence Olympics and he is doing whatever it takes to win gold. Cloaked in nostalgia and supercharged by social media, Erdoğan's neo-Ottoman propaganda seeks to radicalise young minds from Kashmir to Kerala. His tactics are straight from the dictator's playbook — mask authoritarianism with messianic rhetoric, fund proxies, push propaganda, and exploit identity fault lines. And India, one of the most diverse nations and an exemplar of pluralism, must level up. His drones fly across the Line of Control (LoC), but they carry more than narcotics or arms, they carry messages. Messages that say, 'We're watching, we're coming, and we have got technology too.' The Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) from across the LoC are manufactured in Turkey and rebranded in Pakistan, similar to Chinese missiles with Pakistani names. Same chips, new lies. It's like watching bootleg missiles in a bad spy movie, except this is real. Whether we like it or not, Turkey has built a formidable drone warfare industry, punching far above its weight. Its UAVs have altered battlefields in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict and reshaped dynamics in multiple wars across the Middle-East and North Africa (MENA) region. India needs to stop playing nice and start playing smart. Equip Turkey's adversaries, Armenia, Cyprus, Greece, Saudi Arabia, with indigenous drone tech, cyber-defence systems and engage them in sharper diplomacy. Give Erdoğan a reality check: India does not just vibe, it retaliates. And while Erdoğan plays Sultan on TikTok, real States such as the UAE, backed by Saudi Arabia and Egypt are pushing back — with dignity, not delusional dreams. West Asia is not falling for his bait, and neither should India. These nations are not just challenging his economic model but his ideological export factory. The time has come for a coalition of civilisations, a bloc to counter the radicalism of the Turkey-Pakistan duet. Their CVs are written in blood: Armenians, Assyrians, Greeks, Kashmiris, and Bengalis. Their history of genocidal experiences is no footnote. India must stop doom-scrolling while Erdoğan's bots work overtime. The Turkish dissident Gülenist movement – led by Fethullah Gülen and termed by the Erdoğan administration as the Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) — has been crushed inside Turkey, but is alive globally. This offers India a diplomatic opportunity. It should offer asylum and give them platforms. Make India the new Istanbul for liberal Turkish exiles. We did not ask for this ideological war, but we cannot afford to lose it. Meanwhile, the Turkish India-bashing machinery and its infrastructure is vast and well-funded. Over the years, State-backed Turkish media agencies such as the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) and Anadolu Agency (AA), along with countless non-profits and academic institutions, have been hiring ISI proxies from Pakistan as well as Jammu and Kashmir. Similarly, Turkish NGOs such as the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), the Diyanet Foundation and the Turkey Youth Foundation (TUGVA) are running as religious start-ups and trying to dent India's sovereignty. Funded by Ankara and cloaked in cultural exchange, they run recruitment drives without even informing Indian missions. Students lured through flashy scholarships are groomed into soft agents of radicalism. It constitutes academic gaslighting at its finest. Let us set the record straight: Any Indian or Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholder who supports Turkey's radical designs or acts against Indian interests should be stripped of status and access. National identity is not a prop. It is a privilege. Erdoğan is also using entertainment as his weapon of choice. Turkish serials like Ertugrul and Barbaroslar are Caliphate-core propaganda. These shows are not just binge-worthy, they have brainwash potential. The Kashmir Valley is saturated with clips romanticising religious conquest and resistance — Instagram reels today, ideological grenades tomorrow. The Imam Hatip schools, funded directly by Erdoğan, act as radical production houses, manufacturing the next generation of zealots, influencers and apologists. Not to forget the IHH, masquerading as a humanitarian NGO, while running parallel political missions in Kashmir and beyond. Erdoğan is a person of binaries, dichotomies and paradoxes. And while advertising itself as a modern Islamic power committed to dialogue with much fanfare, Turkey's State machinery under Erdoğan simultaneously funds radical voices, fugitives and known extremists in hiding. This duplicity must be exposed. Erdoğan is not a political phoenix but a paranoid populist. Aging, erratic, and increasingly isolated, he knows his time is short. That is why he is sprinting toward the mirage of Ummah leadership with one foot in delusion and the other in desperation. India must wake up, show up and scale up. Use media, diplomacy and diaspora networks. Let Erdoğan's own people turn the tide. We don't need missiles to counter every menace: Ideas are mightier than drones. This is not just an external threat. We can no longer afford to treat Turkey's antics as distant drama. This is not fiction. It is Erdoğan's audition for Caliph, and India must ensure he never makes the cut. Abhishek Singhvi is a senior four-term sitting MP, member, Congress Working Committee, and national spokesperson, Congress. Akash Kumar Singh is a doctoral scholar at the Special Centre for National Security Studies, JNU, and a former LAMP fellow. The views expressed are personal. Get 360° coverage—from daily headlines to 100 year archives.
