The war in the Black Sea is escalating, and the strikes from the Russian and Ukrainian sides are increasingly seriously affecting Turkish economic interests and Turkish ships. Russia is trying to interrupt the export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea, while Ukraine is seeking to stop Russian exports of grain, fertilizers and crude oil. According to Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, the war has entered a new stage - from a war of attrition to a war of destruction. He announced this to Lili Marinkova in the studio “FACT“ and the show “Conversation“ political scientist Marian Karagyozov.
„I cannot really agree with the assessment that Turkey has no reaction to what is happening in the Black Sea, because Ankara has had such reactions so far. The Ukrainian ambassador to Turkey was summoned in connection with the attacks in the Black Sea. There were a large number of attacks in the middle of the year, and now the attacks in the Black Sea have escalated from both sides. Even to a greater extent from the Ukrainian side“, said Karagyozov.
„According to Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan, the war has entered its third stage. The previous stage was a war of attrition, and now it is a war of destruction. Russia is trying to interrupt the export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea, and Ukraine is trying to interrupt Russian exports of grain, fertilizers and crude oil. Turkish refineries buy Russian oil, process it and export diesel. The Turkish flour industry also buys large quantities of grain from Russia. So the Ukrainian strikes, which have intensified significantly since the middle of this year, have caused serious damage to Turkish interests and Turkish ships in the Black Sea,“ he commented.
“In reality, the topic of drones hitting ships in the Black Sea has been discussed in Turkey since June-July of this year. We have been facing this situation for several days and we can say this: if the drone had hit closer to Romania and Bulgaria, the ship was probably sailing towards Ukraine and the drone was Russian. If it is in the other part of the Black Sea, it is more likely that the attack was Ukrainian“, said Karagyozov.
The political scientist also commented on the domestic political situation in Turkey, where a pyramid scheme scandal is among the main topics in the media.
„There is currently a major scandal in Turkey related to a pyramid scheme, in which about 450 thousand people have lost their savings. If we multiply each of them by two or three family members, we are talking about a million and a half - one million and eight hundred thousand people. It turns out that this scheme also includes high-level people from the executive branch. Ms. Kaya resigned and was removed from all posts in the party. A judicial investigation is underway against her. This is one of the big topics that excite the Turkish media“, he pointed out.
„In recent days, we have witnessed actions that are definitely unpleasant for freedom of speech in Turkey. A deputy from the government was appointed to one of the main opposition television stations, who performs the functions of the media manager. There were also restrictions against one of the major opposition portals in Turkey – „T24“. Despite this, they continue to publish news, spelling the name of the site differently and thus circumventing the ban“, said Marian Karagyozov.
See more of the conversation in the VIDEO.