Legislation to Redesignate Turkey as a Middle Eastern Nation Introduced

A bipartisan group in the U.S. House proposes redesignating Turkey as a Middle Eastern nation to reflect its shift away from Western alliances. The legislation aims to signal Turkey’s growing ties with adversaries and its actions that contradict Western security interests. It necessitates a State Department report to Congress on Turkey’s distancing from Europe.

A bipartisan coalition of House representatives has introduced a bill aimed at redesignating Turkey as a Middle Eastern country instead of a European one. This legislative initiative is intended to signal Turkey’s noticeable shift away from Western alliances and its alignment with U.S. adversaries. Representatives Brad Schneider (D-IL) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), the bill’s primary sponsors, emphasized the need to reflect this geopolitical reality in U.S. foreign policy.

The proposed change is described as sending a decisive message to Ankara, acknowledging Turkey’s increasing alignment with countries like Russia, China, and Iran, as well as its support for Hamas. This focus represents a departure from its previous relations with Western nations, also highlighting Turkey’s hostile actions towards Greece and Cyprus that conflict with Western security interests. Additionally, the bill points to Turkey’s growing authoritarianism and its strained relations with NATO allies as unacceptable within the context of European associations.

Rep. Schneider indicated that Turkey’s leadership under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has led to a definitive choice in alliances. He expressed concerns about the Turkish government’s harboring of Hamas operatives, support for Russian military efforts, and actions that undermine NATO solidarity. Schneider remarked that it is prudent for U.S. diplomacy to acknowledge Turkey’s current stance rather than maintaining the illusion of its European identity.

Rep. Bilirakis further underscored Turkey’s disregard for international law, attributing its destabilizing actions to an ongoing contravention of American interests. He concluded that a realignment of U.S. foreign policy is necessary to reflect Turkey’s increasingly antagonistic behaviors. This bill is co-sponsored by Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), Chris Pappas (D-NH), and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), and follows a congressional hearing in which concerns regarding Turkey’s role in U.S. alliances were raised.

The legislation also mandates the State Department to provide Congress with evaluations of the implications stemming from Turkey’s pivot away from Europe, further emphasizing the significance of this proposed `redesignation`.

The recent introduction of legislation to redesignate Turkey as a Middle Eastern country highlights a significant shift in U.S.-Turkey relations. Lawmakers assert that this change reflects Turkey’s increasing alignment with adversarial nations and its departure from previous commitments to Western alliances. As bipartisan support for this initiative grows, monitoring Turkey’s influence and recognizing its behavior shifts becomes imperative for U.S. foreign policy.

Original Source: jewishinsider.com