Turkey’s Future Military Strategy – Notes and Observations
November 13, 2020, 8:52 am

Turkey’s Future Military Strategy – Notes and Observations

Dalia Ziada

On November 12^th, Turkish Minister of Defense, Hulusi Akar, presented the military budget proposal for the year 2021, to the Plan and Budget Committee of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM). In the presentation, Hulusi Akar explained the future military strategy of the Armed Forces, which is built on Turkey’s expansionist ambitions outside its borders; mainly in the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East and North Africa regions. The following analysis summarizes Akar’s presentation in five main points that defines Turkey’s military strategy in the year 2021 and then provides related notes and observations on each.

Turkey plans to continue with military involvement in Azerbaijan and Libya under the umbrella of providing military support and consultations.

Note: Over a year of active communications, especially on military-to-military level, with Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA), Turkey successfully managed to turn Libya into a devout ally. Turkish Minister of Defense, Hulusi Akar’s first move in Libya, in 2019, was to sign a strategic partnership agreement with GNA’s army, similar to the one Turkey signed with Azerbaijan in 2010. According to this agreement, the two countries could provide “military support” to each other “upon demanding the right to self-defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.” In that capacity, the Turkish military won the right to guide Libya’s military decision-making, train Libyan soldiers and cadets at Turkish military facilities, deploy Turkish military equipment to Libya, and establish a Turkish military base in Libya. This is seen by Egypt as a threat to its own national security. Egypt and Emirates support General Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) against the now Turkey-backed GNA army. On November 13^th, Libya’s GNA’s Minister of Defense signed a protocol of cooperation with Qatar. Turkish regime and military are heavily dependent on Qatar’s funding to Turkey’s military operations in the Middle East and eastern Mediterranean.

Turkey plans to continue military operations in Syria and Iraq, under the guise of fighting terrorism. Yet, Hulusi Akar hinted that Turkey is keen to rebuild positive relations with the Iraqi government.

Note: Iran and Russia, who act as Turkey’s top frenemies in the region, are heavily involved in the messy scenes of Syria and Iraq. Russia is the de facto ruler of Syria, while Iran dictates and controls every single decision in the Iraqi government. Iraq and Turkey relations have always been quivering, until they were totally severed in the summer of 2020, when the Turkish border military forces accidentally shot a meeting point of Iraqi officers in Northern Iraq, leaving Iraqi generals killed. At the same time, Turkey’s position in northern eastern Syria is weakening due to rising Russian influence, in border cities and expected absence of American troops, there, under the newly elected Biden administration.

Turkey is determined to continue the fight for Mavi Vatan (the blue homeland) in the Aegean Sea and eastern Mediterranean. In this regard, Hulusi Akar said that Turkey "no more can ignore the relationship between Greece and Egypt.”

Note: There is a widening political rift between Turkey and Egypt, since 2013, over the background of removing the Muslim Brotherhood regime from power, in Egypt. At the same time, Turkey has been systematically harassing Greece to force the international community to cancel Lausanne agreement of 1922 and set new demarcation points in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean that allows Turkey to have a fair share in seabed mining dividends. As a result, Greece and Egypt joined forces to counter Turkey’s threats to their national and economic security. In January, Egypt, Greece, Cyprus, and Israel established the EastMed Gas Forum, and purposefully excluded Turkey out of it. In return, Turkey signed a customary maritime agreement with Libya, in hope that it gives Turkey rights for gas drilling in eastern Mediterranean. Therefore, in August, Egypt and Greece signed an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) agreement, in compliance with international law, that successfully nulled the so-called maritime agreement between Turkey and Libya. On the first week of November, Egypt's president El-Sisi visited Athens, and made a press statement that "Egypt stands by Greece against any provocations (by Turkey) in the Mediterranean." Before that, France stood up against Turkey in the NATO on the background of harassing Greece. That being said, Turkey is the country with the longest border (1870 km) in the Mediterranean Sea. In other words, Turkey has a right lost in the Mediterranean, since the signing of Lausanne Agreement in 1922. The international community must listen to Turkey and stop confining it to its borders, based on an agreement that was signed a century ago, under the fog of war.

Turkey shall continue with testing the Russian S-400 defense system, while seeking to re-join the America-led F-35 fighter jet program. Hulusi Akar said that Turkey is ready to address U.S. concerns on the use of S-400 system with F-16 planes, including any technical compatibility issues. He also said that other members of NATO have already purchased and used the Russian S-300 system and were not punished by the US or NATO for doing so.

Note: the purchase and testing of Russian S-400 defense system, and secretly testing the system on American F-16 fighters, led to Turkey's expel from the American-led F-35 fighter jet program, in July. Turkey had been a partner in the F-35 program, since its very beginning, in 1999. In October, the Trump administration accepted Emirates request to purchase fifty F-35 fighters, after Emirates signed the Abraham Accord with Israel, and despite Israel's pressures to prevent the United States from selling the F-35 jet fighters to any other country in the region. Emirates is seen as a regional rival by Turkey, due to Emirates relentless efforts to counter Turkey's expansionist military operations in the Middle East and North Africa. That is in addition to the diplomatic boycott between Emirates and Qatar, Turkey's closest ally and main financer. In August, Hulusi Akar, on a televised interview with Qatar's Al-Jazeera TV threatened to "hold Abu Dhabi accountable, on the right time and location.” In response, the Emirati F-16 fighters joined forces with the Hellenic Navy in Crete, in September, and managed to give Turkey nightmarish three days as they were flying above Turkey’s western borders in the Aegean Sea.

Turkey's role in NATO shall continue to grow.

Note: Turkey is the second largest military force in NATO, and has been a member of NATO, since 1952. Recently, France attempted to turn NATO against Turkey, on the background of its military presence in the Mediterranean and other political conflicts between Ankara and Paris. The debate is still going on, amongst NATO members, on whether to keep or disown Turkey.

For more interesting details on Turkey's future military strategy, watch the full presentation by Turkey's Defense Minister, Hulusi Akar, here (video is in Turkish language):

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).

Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.