In a pre-recorded message broadcast yesterday at the World Government Summit held in Dubai, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: "In Türkiye, we always say that our stability and security are closely linked to the stability and security of the Gulf region."
The Turkish president's speech comes after the calamitous earthquake that struck Türkiye and Syria. Per Reuters, Verisk Analytics, a risk assessment firm, estimates that Türkiye has probably lost in excess of $20 billion.
Erdogan has previously noted that: "Scientists said these tremors released energy equal to the explosion of 500 atomic bombs". These disasters are added to earlier man-made disasters, and as I had mentioned in a previous article for this publication, in reference to the crimes of the Assad regime, Iran, and its militias in Syria.
Today, the region has a humanitarian and financial catastrophe to deal with. Thus, President Erdogan's remarks that "In Türkiye, we always say that our stability and security are closely linked to the stability and security of the Gulf region" brings us back to a pivotal, fundamental point, the region's security and stability must be safeguarded.
It is true that the earthquake catastrophe is tragic, and nothing can compensate for the human lives lost. It is also true that people were genuinely moved by the magnitude of the crisis engendered by the earthquake. However, the world is not the television screen that depicts tragic events humanely.
Indeed, the world is worse than we can imagine. Here is one simple, sad story indicative of the dangers we face in our region. Yesterday, an official in Afrin Hospital (Northern Syria) said that gunmen had stormed the hospital where the Syrian girl born under the rubble was being cared for.
This child, whose story has moved the world, was born under the rubble of her family's home after it had been destroyed by the earthquake. Her name is Aya. The attackers assaulted the director of the hospital, and we have heard conflicting reports about an attempted kidnapping.
This incident occurred despite all these tragedies we have seen. Someone might ask: did it take place in the areas controlled by the opposition or those of the Assad regime? The truth is that the answer here is not important. The most important thing is that the state, its institutions, and even the concept of the state are absent in Syria.
This story shows us how profound the crisis we are facing in our region is - from Iraq to Lebanon and Yemen to Syria. It is a testament to the scale of devastation and destruction that Iran and its militias have brought to our region. Added to them is every party and faction that undermined the notion of statehood to further narrow interests on irrational and non-political grounds.
As a result, security and stability are inseparable. It also cannot be achieved without upholding the state's authority, putting a stop to militias, and ending the archaic ideological battles that have cost our region lives and money for decades in vain.
The region's stability and security require upholding the concept of the state and respect for humanity, and this can only be accomplished by putting an end to conflicts and turning to peace in dealing with most crises and issues. This can only be accomplished with political rationality, not just consensus.
To achieve this end, a radical political solution in Syria must be found, as well as a cessation of interference in the affairs of other countries and a focus on reforming our own countries from within and ending Iranian meddling in the region.
One of the most notable shortcomings of this region is that only a minority have learned from their mistakes, so is it time to re-learn from these disasters and tragedies?
