Analysis for novini.bg by Prof. Vladimir Chukov, a famous Arabist, university lecturer and scientist in the field of Middle East and Islam policy.

"A golden opportunity arises for Turkey as Finland and Sweden try to join NATO."

This is the headline of a commentary by one of the traditional columnists, Suleyman Seyfi Ogun, in the party newspaper of Turkey's ruling AKP, Yeni фаafak.

In his analytical article, he highlighted the following: "Erdogan has openly stated that the mistake made by obedient coup generals who hastily signed Rodgers' plan will never be repeated.

They will come and knock on Turkey's door.

Now is the time to make them pay for the schemes against Turkey. "

It was then that the Turkish government, which came with a military coup (President General Kenan Evren and Prime Minister Admiral Bulent Yulusu) agreed to Greece to return to NATO under the same conditions of presence in the Aegean.

Then our southern neighbor left the NATO military organization

in protest of the Turkish invasion of northern Cyprus.

This came under pressure from the then commander of NATO forces in Europe, US General Bernard Rodgers.

Turkey still feels deceived, as it has given Greece the opportunity to return to the Aegean and gain a tactical advantage there after losing it in 1974.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt вуavuşoğlu's meeting with Finnish and Swedish counterparts Peka Haavisto and Ann Lind suggested that Turkey's demands were addressed by the United States, not so much by the two Scandinavian countries.

From Helsinki, and especially from Stockholm, Ankara wants to reduce the intensity of its ties with the pro-Kurdish Syrian People's Defense Forces, which are the core of the Syrian Democratic Forces (UDF), which controls the northeastern part of the Arab country.

On allegations that the two countries have become "guest houses of PKK terrorists", the Swedish diplomat said her country had officially accepted the EU's position that the Kurdish group in question was a terrorist entity.

At the same time, she replied that contacts with the Syrian UDF entity were identical to those of other NATO members.

Mevlud Cavusoglu explains that it is not a question of "threat, blackmail or bargaining", but of wanting to overcome "mistrust" within the military organization.

In addition, on behalf of the Turkish president, his chief adviser, Ibrahim Kalin, said: "We are not closing the door.

But we are raising this issue mainly from the point of view of Turkey's national security. "

The key to understanding Turkey's position is the Turkish foreign minister's statement that "no restrictions can be imposed on allies within NATO itself", calling for any trade sanctions imposed on Turkey.

Such a statement is a clear claim to the United States to lift the ban on the sale of F-35, imposed on Ankara, following its purchase of Russian air defense S-400.

The second big request to the United States is the revocation of the Kaiser Act imposed on Syria.

Washington has decided that there will be territorial exceptions and that the strict law will not apply to the provinces of Aleppo, Deyrezor and Hasaka.

These are territories controlled by the pro-Kurdish UDF.

The Kurdish autonomy immediately announced its own investment plans.

Ankara has spoken out strongly against it, literally hours after a statement from the US Treasury Department responsible for sanctions.

Turkish authorities have said they want an exception for territories administered directly by them.

These are 13 municipalities, the largest of which are Jarablus, Izaz, al-Bab, Ras al-Ain and Tel Abiad, stressing that their plans do not include Idlib province, as it is a "nest of terrorism".

Such a request is linked to the Turkish government's plans to "voluntarily" resettle one million Syrian refugees in northern Syria.

The topic is strongly overexposed by the Turkish opposition in view of the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections in a year.

On May 3, the Turkish president officially announced similar intentions of his government, at the opening of the next housing built in Idlib.

He noted that since 2016, about one million Syrians have returned to their homeland.

Erdogan has announced the completion of 57,306 homes in northern Syria as part of a more ambitious project in northern Syria.

According to his interior minister, Suleiman Soylu, the goal is to build 100,000 homes in Idlib and 250,000 in northern Syria. The area is 40.60 or 80 square meters, respectively.

 If we look back, we will see that the Turkish authorities want to revive their plans for Syria from 2016. Then the Turkish Ministry of Defense carried out the first of three military operations / Euphrates Shield /, carried out on Syrian territory.

At the time, Ankara said it wanted to set up "security zones" to build housing for 1.5 million Syrian refugees.

The sums that have been announced that they will be needed for this purpose were about 10 billion dollars.

The focus was on Brussels, which approved a deal with Ankara to prevent Syrians from entering European territory.

However, the EC did not envisage European money (a total of 6 billion euros) to build housing for refugees in the northern part of the country.

Now the time is different.

One week ago, a donors' conference on Syria in Brussels raised 6.7 billion euros in aid.

Most of them will be targeted at countries such as Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq, which are believed to have given refuge to the vast majority of Syrians fleeing Bashar al-Assad.

According to former Syrian Turkmen Union leader Samir Hafez, the Turkish government's ambitions are so great that it has established ties and is actively working even with the government in Damascus.

The idea is to exert pressure so that it accepts Syrians, even in the territories under its control.

So far, such an act is unprecedented, as Ankara has not changed its position to overthrow the ruling Ba'ath party.

In other words, Ankara's talks with the United States and the two NATO candidate countries are motivated by projects that go far beyond "strengthening the organization's northeastern flank."

Turkey believes that now is the time to solve some of its "backward" regional problems, and President Erdogan - in 2023 to come out with one breast in front of his opposition opponent in the race for the presidency.

Prof. Vladimir Chukov