The angel of death seems to be bringing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his twin companion Ahmet Davutoglu even more bad luck; at times from Iraq and Syria and now from Europe. Speaking to the Al-Monitor, an Ankara-residing European politician held Erdogan accountable for the transfer of the Middle East mishaps to Europe.

Although no final decision can be made so promptly, the EU leaders should soon be answerable for their present imprudence in the face of the political and ideological pitfalls created by Turkish leaders. Mrs. Merkel should at least explain why despite her last September warnings to Turkish leaders, she has not taken any concrete measures to stand against and prevent the worrying situation of refugees.

The Hungarian prime minister has blamed Germany and Austria for the present crisis. However, given the Justice and Development Party’s 12-year-long experience, one should ask what strategic goals the AKP is pursuing in the face of the refugee crisis, in which the coordination with Riyadh, Doha, and Abu Dhabi is claimed to be part of the solution.

The party has shown no restraint to use the refugee crisis as a tool to influence regional issues. Some Western media outlets believe that Erdogan resorted to supporting ISIL and igniting a refugee crisis after EU leaders failed to stand against Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad the way Ankara wanted.

A senior journalist from the Al-Monitor spoke of the possibility of Turkey-ISIL cooperation in human smuggling and aiding illegal immigration into EU states. It also adds that the mayor of Bodrum along with the government facilitated the passage of refugees to Europe, “none of which could have ever happened without Erdogan’s authorization.”

On the other hand, by cooperating with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, Ankara seeks to lead the refugees across Europe, particularly in Germany and Austria, to make them assets in the future. “Saudi Arabia has put at the disposal of Turkey a great financial aid of 700 million to a billion dollar to this project,” an Istanbul-based Western diplomat, whose country maintains close ties with Turkey, said on the condition of anonymity. This long-term project has three particularities: unity and hatred towards President Assad, common ideology, demand for money and an ambition to live in the West.

How much can the EU states welcome refugees given EU’s staggering unemployment crisis, which rose from 7% in 2008 to 11.5% in 2015? “Now Erdogan will do its best to inflict an unprecedented pressure on Europe,” a senior European official told the Al-Monitor. Therefore, I strongly hold the idea that with their massive investment in the European structure, Turkey and Saudi Arabia would soon turn into a nightmare for the continent. It will not take long for the preliminary indications of such a strategy to make itself clearly visible.

MD/PA