Is this a sign of change in our Syrian policy?

I want to draw your attention to these words of Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım when he spoke at Çankaya Mansion during a visit of exporters. I could not get hold of the full text of the speech, but according to daily Milliyet, he said: “From now on, Turkey will work more closely with particularly regional countries on these matters. Just as we have made issues with Israel reach a certain point, just as we have put Russian relations back on track again, in Syria also and with other countries in the region, we will experience much better developments. This process has started; its steps have been taken. We will all see the outcome.”

From the prime minister’s speech, I understand that we should expect better developments on relations with Syria and other countries in the region. Since he mentioned Israel and Russia just before he mentioned Syria, it means he is regarding Syria within this framework. Whether this is a process launched with the Bashar al-Assad regime, that aspect of the speech is not clear. 

However, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, on his return from Russia, mentioned a working group of three with Russia on Syria. This is a sign of certain developments on this matter. 

The fact that a time frame of two-and-a-half hours was allocated for a special meeting on Syria during President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Russia visit should be considered another sign. 

These developments make me think that following the discharge of Ahmet Davutoğlu from the position of prime minister, there has also been an ideological discharge in our foreign policy issues. 

Facts we have been writing about

Presidential Spokesmen İbrahim Kalın wrote in English-language Daily Sabah: “The new consensus, displayed so powerfully at the Aug. 7 rally, is based on the principles of merit, transparency and accountability against all attempts to infiltrate state institutions. 

“Regardless of one’s political views, everyone in Turkey is united in establishing these principles as the foundational elements of a healthy and well-functioning democracy.”

The coup attempt of the Fethullahist gang has provided the emergence and acceptance of the facts we have been writing about for a long time but were not able to explain to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) circles. 

As a matter of fact, there was a good side, actually two good aspects of this malice: One is the elimination of this gang from state institutions and society, and the second is that the ruling party has understood the significance of conciliation. 

I hope this is not a short-lived spring atmosphere. 

I will keep reminding it at every opportunity. 

It is because, now, since it has become apparent that it could be possible to become a one-party government, but to be a functioning and manageable democracy is only possible with sharing that power with broad masses.