The international community has expressed its condemnation of the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar, where 370,000 Rohingya are estimated to have fled their country. It has not translated into much concrete action.
Zeid Raad Al Hussein, the UN’s human rights chief, has described the Rohingyas’ plight as a “textbook case of ethnic cleansing.” This follows a similar declaration by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The Western world has been slow to react. Still, leaders from Muslim-majority countries, such as Malaysia, Indonesia, and Bangladesh, have tried to exert as much pressure as they can on Myanmar’s government.
Turkey has responded the loudest and strongest. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish President, appears to be the voice of the Rohingya Muslim community internationally.
Turkey’s response to aid
Erdogan, according to a Turkish statement, is the one who was able to secure permission for humanitarian assistance to enter Myanmar. At the height of the violence in Burma, the Burmese government had blocked all UN aid to the Rohingyas.
The Turkish foreign aid agency TIKA was the first to send 1000 tons of basic food and medicine into the conflict zone of Rakhine State, where most Rohingyas reside.
Turkey announced simultaneously plans to distribute humanitarian assistance to the Rohingya camp in Bangladesh. Emine Erdogan, the wife of the Turkish President, visited the bases during the same period.
Public denunciation
At a meeting held in Astana (Kazakhstan), Erdogan, as the current head of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, condemned Myanmar’s treatment of Rohingyas. He took the initiative on the issue on behalf of the OIC. He called the current violence genocide.
The Turkish President has been gathering Muslim leaders from around the world in order to exert pressure on the Myanmar Government. On August 31, he met with leaders from Mauritania and Pakistan, as well as Iran and Qatar, to urge them to join forces in order to stop violence against Rohingyas.
Other Turkish politicians have also addressed the issue. Mevlut Cacusoglu’s remarks as the Foreign Minister attracted global attention. Mehmet Simsek tweeted images that were not related to the problem in order to make his point. This created a little embarrassment.
How can we explain the Turkish desire to lead this crisis?
Global ambitions
Has played a role. Turkey’s pro-Western stance has changed, but it is more obvious that the country’s pro-Western stance of long-standing has shifted. Turkey has been a NATO member for many years and aspired to join the EU. However, under the leadership of President Erdogan and the current AKP Government, Turkey’s foreign policies have shifted to the global south in search of new opportunities.
The Turkish foreign policy doctrine promotes what Pinar Bilgen, a professor at Bilkent University, and Ali Bilgic call “civilisational geography.” This is “an understanding that culture and civilisation are predetermined determinants of behaviour on the international stage.”
Bilgin & Bilgic claim that this new doctrine is aimed at placing Turkey in the center of geopolitical disputes between the West & the rest of Asia. It justifies this global engagement based on Central Asian / Ottoman History.