A veteran Turkish diplomat and current opposition lawmaker has launched a scathing critique of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's foreign policy, describing it as "aimless, illegible, and inconsistent." In a sharply worded analysis, he argues that Ankara has become preoccupied with posturing on the world stage while failing to establish coherent and effective policy positions, eroding the nation's international standing.
Writing for the news outlet T24, Ambassador Namık Tan, who previously served as Turkey's envoy to Washington and is now a Member of Parliament for the main opposition CHP, asserted that international observers see a government that is "constantly striking a pose but failing to take a position." Tan's critique highlights a growing perception among both allies and adversaries that Turkey's diplomatic actions are often contradictory and driven by short-term considerations rather than a long-term strategic vision.
The former ambassador points to a series of conflicting diplomatic maneuvers. He contrasts Ankara's high-profile engagement with Russia and its rush to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit—a move seen as courting Moscow and Beijing—with its muted participation in a Paris meeting of the "Coalition of Volunteers" supporting Ukraine. While other nations sent high-level delegations, Turkey was represented only by a video link from its Vice President, a decision Tan suggests undermines its NATO commitments.
This pattern of inconsistency, Tan argues, has led to tangible diplomatic setbacks. He notes that promises made to Washington to help broker peace in Ukraine and stabilize Syria have remained unfulfilled, leaving the U.S. with a deep sense of disappointment and a view of Ankara as an "all talk, no walk" partner. In the Caucasus, he observes, Azerbaijan's President Aliyev now prefers to engage directly with Washington, bypassing Ankara, while the critical border crossing with Armenia remains stubbornly closed despite diplomatic overtures.
Surrounded by a volatile region—with conflicts raging in Ukraine, Syria, and Palestine, and simmering tensions in the Caucasus and the Eastern Mediterranean—Turkey's lack of a clear foreign policy doctrine is particularly perilous, according to Tan. He concludes that the government's focus on grand but empty slogans, such as "strategic autonomy," and a series of "photo opportunities," comes at a significant cost to the nation's history, prestige, and influence on the global stage.
Photo: Generated by Gemini AI.