In a comment that splashed across Turkey’s front pages and raised eyebrows in western capitals, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan recently asserted that US-led humanitarian efforts for Gaza based in the Republic of Cyprus were a cover for military operations.
“There is serious militarisation there,” he warned in an interview, echoing recent comments from Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. “When you become part of the ongoing wars in the Middle East, this fire will come and find you, too.”
Strong accusations have long been the preserve of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but a year after taking office Mr Fidan seems to have shed his usual reserve for a bolder stance. Washington has been increasing its military co-operation with Cyprus and Greece, so his charge seemed a clear dig at Turkey’s Nato allies. And it came shortly after Mr Fidan visited China’s Xinjiang region and spoke of “ancient Turkic and Islamic cultures”, countering Beijing’s view that Uighurs are a non-Turkic people with deep Chinese roots.
Turkey’s foreign minister presents a wealth of contradictions. He’s hawkish, but more bibliophile than others. He’s no wistful artist like his successor at Turkey’s intelligence agency (MIT), Ibrahim Kalin, who occasionally releases music videos singing about Islamic love. Avoiding the brusqueness of his predecessor, Mevlut Cavusoglu, Mr Fidan gives off an aura of polite implacability, grinning benignly as his eyes make clear he will not be swayed.
Since the collapse of peace talks in 2015, Ankara has been more aggressive on the Kurdish issue, renewing conflict with Kurdish militias in the south-east as well as northern Iraq and north-east Syria. Yet Mr Fidan is Kurdish on his father’s side and played a key role in secret talks between Ankara and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party in 2009-10.
Mr Fidan is one of the few Turkish cabinet members who is fluent in English and able to debate the finer points of policy with western counterparts. He attended university in the US, earning his bachelor’s in political science in Maryland and studying under the Scottish historian Norman Stone. In his master’s thesis, on intelligence’s impact on foreign policy, he pointed to the CIA and MI6 as models for Turkey.
Fidan is is fluent in English and able to debate the finer points of policy with western counterparts
Yet one could argue that as MIT chief from 2010 to mid-2023, he was part of Turkey’s turn away from the West and its allies. Under his leadership, MIT co-operated with rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, including some reportedly aligned with extremists. Under his watch, Ankara pivoted away from military co-operation with the US and Israel and developed stronger ties with Iran.
Over 13 years, Mr Fidan transformed MIT into a competent, reliable and even flexible institution, a rarity in Turkey’s government. Over the past year, he has endeavoured to do the same within the foreign ministry, aiming to better position Turkey as a power player in a multipolar world.
Mr Fidan reportedly urged diplomats to stop marrying foreign nationals, arguing that it posed a security threat. He moved to strengthen and refine the ministry spokesperson and communications arm and brought all of Turkey’s various strands of foreign policy, including the military and domestic defence, under the ministry’s umbrella. He nationalised privately run Turkish visa services around the world to boost ministry revenue. Finally, he created a new security and intelligence department and appointed a Central Asia and Turkic affairs ambassador, underscoring Ankara’s efforts to expand its influence in Turkic states.
Abroad, his two signal accomplishments are swapping Turkish approval for Sweden’s entry into Nato for a US deal on F-16s and concessions from Stockholm, and continuing to balance ties with Russia and Ukraine even as Ankara found a way to allow for the continued shipping of crucial Ukrainian grain.
Those worried about a more confident Turkey might consider the alternative.
Many western officials hoped main opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu would emerge victorious in last year’s presidential election. But there’s little question Turkey’s foreign policy would be more troublesome, if not a mess, had far-right leader Umit Ozdag been named Mr Kilicdaroglu’s foreign minister, as the latter had reportedly promised.
But Mr Erdogan won and handed Mr Fidan the plum post. In recent months, the idea that Mr Fidan might succeed his boss has quietly gained ground. He could probably handle the job, his compatriots seem to agree he has performed well as foreign minister, and he is likely to be pivotal in any AKP government.
But Mr Fidan is no politician. His lone run for public office, in early 2015, lasted less than a month: he ended his parliamentary campaign after Mr Erdogan made clear he was still needed at MIT. He’s been more outgoing in the past year, however, and continuing on that path might make him another sort of public figure by the next vote in 2028.
For now, this could be a big month for Turkey’s place in the world. After last week’s Shanghai Co-operation Organisation summit in Kazakhstan, Mr Erdogan and Mr Fidan are set to arrive in Washington on Tuesday for the first Nato summit since Sweden joined the bloc. Next week, top Turkish and Greek officials plan to gather separately in Cyprus to mark 50 years since the island’s division.
Might we expect another controversial assertion about western backers of Israel’s war in Gaza? Or perhaps firmer talk of permanently dividing the island? Turkey’s leader is set to make a big speech to mark the occasion. But it would come as little surprise if the foreign minister also made his presence felt.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Zayed Sustainability Prize
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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Co-founders of the company: Vilhelm Hedberg and Ravi Bhusari
Launch year: In 2016 ekar launched and signed an agreement with Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. In January 2017 ekar launched in Dubai in a partnership with the RTA.
Number of employees: Over 50
Financing stage: Series B currently being finalised
Investors: Series A - Audacia Capital
Sector of operation: Transport
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Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica
Best Agent: Jorge Mendes
Best Club : Liverpool
Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker
Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP
Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart
Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)
Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)
Best Women's Player: Lucy Bronze
Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi
Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)
Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs
The five pillars of Islam
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Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes.
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
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OPTA'S PREDICTED TABLE
1. Liverpool 101 points
2. Manchester City 80
3. Leicester 67
4. Chelsea 63
5. Manchester United 61
6. Tottenham 58
7. Wolves 56
8. Arsenal 56
9. Sheffield United 55
10. Everton 50
11. Burnley 49
12. Crystal Palace 49
13. Newcastle 46
14. Southampton 44
15. West Ham 39
16. Brighton 37
17. Watford 36
18. Bournemouth 36
19. Aston Villa 32
20. Norwich City 29
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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Result
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 – Group 1 (PA) $65,000 (Dirt) 2,000m; Winner: Brraq, Ryan Curatolo (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (Turf) 1,800m; Winner: Bright Melody, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby
7.40pm: Meydan Classic – Listed (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Naval Crown, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby
8.15pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy – Group 3 (TB) $195,000 (T) 2,810m; Winner: Volcanic Sky, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
8.50pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Star Safari, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.25pm: Meydan Challenge – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Zainhom, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
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Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
