Turkey And Pakistan To Bring Europe Into The State Of Ottoman Empire – OpEd

The German pastor Martin Niemoller wrote the following lines of a poem in 1946 “When they came to take the gypsies away I did not react. I was not a gypsy. When they came to take the communists I did not react. I was not a communist. When they came to take the Jews I didn’t react. I wasn’t a Jew. When they came to take me, there was no one left to react…” The lines of this poem are not ominous but realistically descriptive towards human selfishness, whether it is expressed in terms of social relations or political states.

At the moment a war has broken out between India and Pakistan over which most European states and America are making statements calling on both India and Pakistan to respect the rules of international law and not to go to war using nuclear weapons. It would not be an exaggeration to claim that while most western states (Greece as well) are “washing their hands” unable to understand the global dimensions that the war between India and Pakistan may soon take, some other states like Turkey are doing everything to exploit the opportunity of war to their advantage.

Initially, the diplomatic stance of most countries worldwide regarding the India-Pakistan war will be examined, and within this context, the dangerous role that Turkey seeks to play, exploiting the war, will be addressed in Greece and Cyprus as well as throughout Europe, which Erdogan has not ceased to dream of as a new Ottoman Empire where Islam will reign.

China, although it called for restraint from both India and Pakistan, is certain to effectively support Pakistan. France, Iran, Russia, and Japan have urged India and Pakistan to exercise restraint to de-escalate the situation. Qatar, which maintains relations with both countries, remained neutral, while Israel openly sided with India. Israel’s ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, made it clear in a statement that Israel supports India’s right to self-defense. In a post on X, Azar stated: “Israel supports India’s right to self-defense. Terrorists must know that there is no place to hide from their heinous crimes against the innocent.”

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates and Deputy Prime Minister, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, called on India and Pakistan to exercise restraint, reduce tensions, and prevent further escalation, according to a government statement.

Regarding England, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy stated, “The current tensions between India and Pakistan are causing serious concern. The UK government urges India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and engage in immediate dialogue to find a swift diplomatic path forward.”

Regarding America, President Trump stated about the India-Pakistan war, “It’s a shame. I just learned about it. I guess the world knew that something was going to happen based on a bit of the past. They’ve been fighting for a long time. They’ve been fighting for many, many decades. I hope it ends very quickly.”

Now, we will examine where Greece and Turkey stand within this context. Starting with Greece, our country and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should firmly support India, especially since Turkey openly supports Pakistan. However, it seems that the Greek side has been negligent based on an incident that took place on May 6, 2025. The Greek government banned a gathering of Indian immigrants in Greece against terrorism outside the Pakistani embassy. Initially, they had gathered at the College of Athens and had received permission to proceed with this gathering, which was scheduled for 5 PM.

The police conducted passport checks on Indians without any reason, while all these years, when Pakistanis gather outside the Indian embassy, no one checks them. Among the Pakistanis who have demonstrated undisturbed in favor of Islam in Greece, there was Lord Nazir Ahmed of Rotherham, a former member of the British House of Lords, who was convicted in January 2022 for attempting to rape a minor and sexually assaulting a minor boy, crimes committed in the 1970s. A few months before his conviction, in August 2021, he visited Athens and participated in an event of the Pakistani community organized by the Overseas Forum International of Pakistan without anyone checking him.

A few days before the anti-terrorism rally of Indians outside the Pakistani embassy, there were leaks on social media from Pakistanis stating the following: “If this rally happens, we will come with 10 or 15 cars to hold a counter-rally.” Therefore, they gave the Greek police the pretext to cancel the Indian rally to prevent disturbances between Indians and Pakistanis. Since there is currently an angry atmosphere against Greece in India, to restore its relations with India, Greece should allow this rally in the coming days.

Regarding the management of the situation by Turkey, we can say that it is clearly militarily reinforcing Pakistan, as on May 7, a Turkish warship docked in Karachi to bolster the Pakistani navy. In recent days in India, retired generals, who are close to the Modi government as advisors to the National Security Council, have emerged, claiming that Turkey threatens India and Greece. General Bakshi, who is in the Modi government and advises him on national sovereignty issues, has essentially targeted Turkey. The Indians are trying to diplomatically defend Greece, even though the last move of the Greek government towards them was disappointing.

Starting the analysis of how Turkey exploits the war for its own benefit, we must be suspicious that Gerapetritis is currently being praised by the Turkish press, specifically in the newspaper Milliyet. Furthermore, we should turn our eyes to Turkey’s provocative handling of Cyprus amidst the Indo-Pakistani war and the Islamic front that is currently forming before us between Turkey, Pakistan, and Azerbaijan.

During Erdogan’s visit to the occupied territories of Cyprus, there was a war manifesto against Greece as Erdogan spoke about lands belonging to the Ottoman Empire. In fact, Erdogan had brought people from Turkey with him to show the world how much the Turkish people support him, and throughout this, there was no official response from the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Erdogan, on the other hand, a prisoner of his own vanity, manages the occupied Cypriots almost vindictively, as he advises those who protest against the Islamic head covering in primary schools to “know their place.”

Pakistan also shows its support for Turkish-occupied Cyprus. Speaking at a press conference last week, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared Pakistan’s “support for the people of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.” Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Pakistan—the new axis of Islamic terrorism—are avoiding diplomatic norms. Any recognition of the occupied northern Cyprus as a sovereign entity offered by Ankara, Baku, or Islamabad is not based on the value of history or law, but rather in service of Turkey’s imperial ambitions. It would not be an exaggeration to say that as Turkey and Pakistan resemble each other beyond ideology in their actions, the illegal occupation of Cyprus by the Turks is largely similar to the situation of Balochistan which is illegally occupied by Pakistanis.

It is clear, therefore, that Greece should not remain idle in the face of international developments but should show clear support for India in the India-Pakistan war. Denmark, which recognized the lurking threat, has obliged those who migrate there not to wear the burqa and to learn the Danish language. United, the European states should stand against the Pakistan-Turkey axis that has been created with the aim of taking us back to the Middle Ages and darkness.