The West is losing its influence in global affairs and suffering a loss in trust due to its “double standards” and the growing power of Asia, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has suggested.
“In the global system, the weight and influence of the West is declining. The West is fixated only on itself, there is no consensus,” Cavusoglu said, speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Sunday, with his remarks cited by Turkey’s NTV.
According to the diplomat, part of the reason for the decline in the West’s influence has been that “it has begun to destroy the principles on which its stands, including democracy and human rights. Islamophobia and a policy of double standards has begun to appear. Accordingly, trust toward the West’s politics has fallen,” he said.
At the same time, Cavusoglu suggested that Asia was rising, with Asian nations already accounting for more than 50 percent of the world economy, and growing.
The foreign minister suggested that if the West wants to preserve its position in the world, it needs to review its policies and do more to preserve its values.
Commenting on his meeting in Washington with US senators last week, Cavusoglu said he “emphasized” to the US side “that we expect an attitude from the US in a manner befitting our alliance."
Finally, commenting on tensions between Turkey and Russia over the fighting in Idlib, Syria, Cavusoglu said Turkey wants fighting in the area to stop and for a permanent ceasefire to be established, and has said so to Russian officials. A Turkish delegation will travel to Moscow to discuss the conflict in Syria on Monday, he confirmed.
Syria Tensions
On Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan demanded that Syrian forces pull out of the Idlib de-escalation zone immediately, warning of a full-scale Turkish offensive if Damascus failed to do so. Tensions between Syria and Turkey escalated on Monday after a Syrian Army artillery strike struck a Turkish observation post, killing eight and injuring several others. Turkey responded by firing on dozens of Syrian Army targets. The Russian military warned Turkey against “irresponsible statements” and actions, saying these could only lead to an escalation of the situation. Moscow also accused Ankara of failing to live up to its commitments to separate ‘moderate opposition’ fighters from jihadist terrorists.
Syria kicked off an anti-terrorist operation in Idlib late last year, after repeated violations by militants of a 2017 ceasefire brokered by Russian, Iran and Turkey. This week, Damascus said it would continue its campaign in Idlib and throughout the country, notwithstanding Turkish threats.
