Unrest is raging again in Turkey, where 10 retired admirals have been arrested following an open letter signed by more than 100 ex-servicemen. The letter criticized Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s plan to build the “Istanbul Canal” and call on the country not to withdraw from the Montreux Treaty.
A letter that angered the Turkish government, which interpreted it as a “call for a coup”.
According to the Ankara Attorney General’s Office, the ten retired Admirals have been detained. Four other retired army officers were not arrested due to their age, but have been ordered to report to police in Ankara over the next three days as part of an ongoing investigation into the case, Anadolu Agency reported.
Erdogan’s spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, commented in a statement that the letter sounded like an army conspiracy to overthrow the government. “A group of retired soldiers put themselves in a ridiculous and miserable position with their announcement reminiscent of times of military coup”, said Kalin.
The admirals are suspected of plotting against state security and the constitutional order, the news website reported, as broadcast by the Athens News Agency.
One of the 10 retired admirals arrested is Cem Gurdeniz, who is considered a theorist of the “Blue Homeland” doctrine. In his book “Mavi Vatan” he analyzed his theory, presenting Turkey’s claims to the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, with the aim of becoming a naval superpower.
“Istanbul Canal”
The Istanbul Canal is the most ambitious of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s infrastructure projects (airports, bridges, roads and tunnels) in the last 18 years. The government claims that with this Canal, Istanbul will have a new “attraction”, while the pressure on the Bosphorus will be relaxed.
Opponents of the plan argue that, in addition to the environmental impact, the opening of this canal would undermine the 1936 Montreux Treaty, which guarantees the free passage of ships through the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles, both in time of peace as well as in time of war.
In an open letter, the 104 retired admirals said it was “worrying” that a debate on the Montreux Treaty would begin, saying the agreement “best protects Turkish interests”.
Erdogan’s controversial decisions
In the meantime, a few days ago, Deutche Welle reports in an article titled “Erdogan is hooked on power” that the controversial decisions of the Turkish president cause unrest at home and concern abroad.
By presidential decree Turkey recently withdrew from the international convention on violence against women. Since then, protests in the country’s streets have been almost daily. In addition, Erdogan ousted the central banker just five months after taking office because he raised the key interest rate despite the president’s objections. Result; Another fall in the exchange rate of the Turkish lira with unforeseen consequences for those already in dire financial straits. And as if all this were not enough, President Erdogan is on his way the ban on the second party in power in the country: the pro-Kurdish HDP, whose numerous Members are expected to lose their immunity soon.
Tayyip Erdogan is constantly showing his power, perhaps because his stay in the presidential palace is not as certain as he wants to present to the outside world., according to a Deutsche Welle article. Despite the expanded presidential powers he has amassed over the past three years, he depends on the support of the supranationalist MHP party in the Turkish National Assembly. But even with the MHP on its side, recent polls predict it no longer secures an absolute majority. Despite the fact that the next elections are expected to take place normally in 2023, various scenarios see for this reason early recourse to the polls.
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