Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is expected to give a loss of 20 billion USD to Turkey after banning its products, while Ukraine has come forward to buy Turkish 48 Bayraktar TB2 drones, after Turkey’s drones proved their prowess in the war-zone of Armenia-Azerbaijan from the Azerbaijan side.
By Haider Abbas
There is a churning going on in the world, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has boycotted Turkish goods and products which is estimated to incur a loss of 20 billion USD to Turkey, tells SaudiGazette on October 20, 2020 1 and the slain journalist Jamal Khashoghi fiancée has sued MbS, the KSA crown prince, in Washington on October 21, 2020 (BBC) 2 to have ordered Khashoghi’s killing, as per the CIA report which had been slid under the carpet by US president Donald Trump as informed by TheGuardian on November 22, 2018 3 . MbS has also been slapped with another case by his own intelligence official Saad Al Jabri accused to have sent death squads to kill him too on the lines of Khashoghi on August 7, 2020 refers BusinessStandard 4. If this carries on then MbS may end up ‘banned from entry’ to US. Forget the bad-press thereafter. No wonder, in order to placate US MbS has offered in a palter UAE and Bahrain normalisation-deal with Israel, as Trump is said to have ‘saved the ass’ of MbS after Khashoghi’s killing, revealed TimesofIsrael on September 11, 2020 5.
KSA, UAE, Israel, India supported by US are now in a new bloc and very soon the world is likely to see the official-bonhomie between KSA and Israel, along with 22-Arab states, in fact so forlorn has been the UAE-Israel affair that UAE has allowed ‘visa-free’ travel to Israel citizens, which ‘notably, even Israel’s closest ally, the US, has so far refused to sign a visa exemption agreement with the Jewish state’ points Times of Israel on August 20, 2020 6 and Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Malaysia supported by China and Russia is the other bloc, and since, the last week of September 2020 Armenia and Azerbaijan war is raging, despite the truce called by Russia, in which Turkey is supporting Azerbaijan, and likewise, is Pakistan. Perhaps, this war is a dress-rehearsal for the up-coming larger war between India and China & Pakistan, in which US is to support India after BECA is signed. China has staked claim over inside Indian territory in Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh and even Himachal Pradesh.
Although India has not officially declared support for Armenia yet it has been Armenia which gave support to India on the issue of Kashmir, which is a bane of conflict between India and Pakistan since 70 years, and Azerbaijan had quite understandably supported Pakistan on Kashmir and Pakistan as a reciprocity-gesture has supported Azerbaijan against Armenia. Turkey is the main backstage support of Azerbaijan and so has been Pakistan, most largely due to Turkey as Turkey has also supported Pakistan on Kashmir, which KSA had desisted, and which led to Pakistan foreign minister on August 6, 2020 saying that Pakistan is to move away from KSA sponsored Organisation of Islamic Countries to make another bloc, and finally walk out of KSA shadow, which led to Pakistan return 1 billion USD loan, with China’s help to KSA and also KSA to annul the supply of oil-on-deferred-loan to Pakistan, which made Azerbaijan to offer with its supply of oil to Pakistan. The KSA-Pakistan meltdown might finally lead to KSA and UAE banish Pakistanis, as workforce, to be replaced by Indians.
India is accusing Pakistan to have sent its army to fight alongside Azerbaijan, highlighted ZEENews.India on September 29, 2020 7 which Pakistan denied as baseless , according to AA.Com.Tr on October 2, 2020 8 but the outright and unequivocal support which Pakistan has given to Azerbaijan had led to a great demand of Pakistan flags which are witness to flutter in Azerbaijan in high numbers, informs GeoTv on October 19, 2020 9 , a day later to which Pakistan foreign minister talk to his Azerbaijan’s counterpart to express complete solidarity with Baku ‘at this difficult time’ updated AA.Com.Tr.
Armenia as its last ditch has started shelling, points Al Jazeera on October 21, 2020 11 and that it has also lost 772 of its soldiers in the conflict, as both countries have gone ahead to call for US secretary of state Mike Pompeo. Azerbaijan meanwhile has also declared to have liberated 13 villages from Armenia’s occupation, notified TRTWorld on October 20, 2020 12. As the picture of the war unfolds, UAE which means KSA, is in alliance with Armenia as UAE and KSA are the anti-Turkey front, speculates as article MiddleEastOnline on September 11, 2020 13. UAE had already sent its F-16 fighter jets to the aid of Greece against Turkey in the Mediterranean sea, cited EurasianTimes on August 26, 2020 14. But, Turkey is playing its card to drive a message into the Arab-states that it had helped Azerbaijan have an upper hand in Nogorno-Karabagh warzone, solely for the purpose to finally reclaim its 22 lost Arab states, along with Jerusalem, which were all dismembered after World-War-I by Britishers, and which, obviously all the Arab states along with Israel are likely to oppose with their full-might.
The fires of the Armenia-Azerbaijan are yet to be doused and who knows what plans does US has after its November 3, 2020 elections, but its spill-out on the overall war scenario getting build-up around China and US over Taiwan, India and China & Pakistan in the Himalayas and with Turkey and Greece in the Mediterranean Sea and a likely war against Iran by Israel and US with KSA to its aid are all pointing towards some bloody-days in future. The world is waiting for the outcome of November 3.
The writer is a former State Information Commissioner. He is a media analyst and writes on international politics.
References:
3-https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/nov/22/trump-cia-saudi-crown-prince-jamal-khashoggi-murder
8-https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/pakistan-denies-its-armys-presence-in-azerbaijan/1993022
10-https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/top-pakistan-azerbaijani-diplomats-discuss-karabakh/2012628
13- https://middle-east-online.com/en/reasons-behind-armenia%E2%80%93uae-alliance
14- UAE Sends Four F-16 Jets To Support Greece Against Turkey