The restoration of Constantinople and the glory of the Third Rome were nothing more than a distant dream, and Yanayev would not have imagined that he would actually see the banner of the sickle and hammer planted on the walls of Constantinople in Istanbul. All he could do was try to rip out of its mouth bit by bit the land that Turkey had swallowed during the Tsarist era. As long as the vast majority of navigation rights in the Black Sea are mastered, it can be said that more than half of Moscow's dream has been realized in the past few hundred years.

At this time, Turkish President Demirel, who was also dreaming of the Ottoman Empire, panicked at this time, because when Bulgaria and Greece announced that they would join Turkey's Grand Canal project at the same time, he never imagined that the situation would be so serious. If the suppression of Kurdish unrest is only a matter of time, then the snubbing of the Turkish Straits will really kill the country.

Because one of the most important reasons why the NATO military bloc will accept Turkey is the Black Sea straits. Because Turkey is a member of NATO, NATO can set up a military base near the Black Sea straits, which are the "throat of the world," to close the Soviet Union's southward path, which is of great strategic significance. Turkey has exchanged the strait for NATO's advanced weaponry, military technology, and collective security defense. If even its own use value is lost, then Turkey will only be abandoned by NATO.

So Demirel also began to talk to Bulgaria, because there was no actual conflict of interest between the two countries, so Turkey thought that he would be the first to reach a rapprochement with Turkey. However, Zhelev, who was embroiled in political assassinations, said that the Bulgarian government refused to summon the Turkish ambassador and asked the Soviet Union for a statement on the control of the canal, which the Bulgarian side was not very aware of. ”

Bulgaria had a request for the USSR. So naturally it is impossible to reach any agreement with Turkey. Not to mention the fact that the USSR had the ability to influence Britain. And Turkey does not.

After the ashes of the nose in Bulgaria. Demirel had no choice but to turn his attention to his country's arch-rivals, the Greeks, in the hope that they would step forward and temporarily interrupt the project cooperation plan. Demirel even suggested reopening negotiations on Cyprus, as long as Greece could abandon its support for the Grand Canal development.

"Let Turkey dream, the Greeks will not negotiate with you on the issue of Cyprus. Greece has indisputable sovereignty over this territory, and when you, Turkey, evacuate your people from Cypriot soil, we will discuss other issues. ”

Greece rejected Turkey's request in one bite, and Turkey was shut twice at the same time on the canal issue. The construction of the canal has also attracted the support of another country, and the British government in the Atlantic Ocean has said that they will closely monitor the progress of the canal project. and to provide the necessary assistance for this project.

"We are not like some of the countries that block the canal project. The UK is 100 per cent supportive of the project. Of course, if any country wants to block the project supported by the British, then he will consider whether it is our opponent. The British foreign secretary said at a press conference that it was already clear that Britain was going to open up the Black Sea through this plan.

Britain was a country that strongly demanded that the Black Sea be treated as a high sea, and at the Montreux Conference in 1936, Turkish delegates pushed for the strait to be closed to warships of any country. The representative of the United Kingdom insisted that the Black Sea be treated as an international high seas and opposed any restrictions on the passage of warships of non-Black Sea States through the strait.

So this canal digging also gave the British government an opportunity to intervene in the Black Sea with its sphere of influence. But even he has to think about it, even if he can win against Turkey, can he cope with the Soviet Union's power in the Black Sea? Moreover, the Soviet Union was a country with great ambitions to turn the Black Sea into its own backyard swimming pool.

Now Demirel has come to the point of betrayal. Bulgaria, Greece. The Soviet Union joined forces against him, and the United States betrayed Turkey halfway, resulting in him losing even the backers behind him. Not to mention the fact that Britain, thousands of miles away, also wanted to extend its sphere of influence to its own doorstep and divide the rights of the Black Sea.

"We now have no choice but to make peace with the Soviet Union, President Demirel. The downing of the fighter plane caused all the allies to betray us, although we can see clearly that these people are a bunch of incompetent cowards. Sabahatin sighed, none of them expected that the Soviet Union would have so many means of retaliation against Turkey.

He walked to the window, and the green camphor trees outside had already shaken off their dark green, leaving only the bare branches that carried the snow that had fallen last night. Isn't Turkey like the trees that have been crushed by snow, breathless under a strong sense of oppression?

"Peace? We haven't lost yet. Minister Sabahatin, Turkey is only a temporary defeat, and the so-called canal project is nothing more than a propaganda ploy to scare us, and the purpose is to build momentum for negotiations between Turkey and the Soviet Union. Demirel said so, but he was already empty-hearted.

"The eastern Turkish cities are already being held by militants, and our forces are engaged in a tug-of-war with the Kurdistan Workers' Party." Sabahaldin told Demirel another piece of sad news, "This group of terrorist groups, armed to the teeth by the Syrian government, has succeeded in blocking our progress with anti-tank weapons or rifles." And the vast majority of these cities are Kurdish areas, where government offices are paralyzed, and they even shot our officials in the alleys on street corners. "Basa Hatting is a little tired, tired from days of dealing with government affairs, not to mention the heartbreaking PKK riots in the east.

The unrest, known as the Black November Incident, would become a major riot event in Turkish history.

"The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) launched this armed insurrection at the most opportune time, and it can be said that it occupies all the favorable factors." Sabahatin sighed, although saying this is a suspicion of promoting the enemy's prestige, but he still has to tell the truth, "So the best way now is to negotiate peace with the Soviet Union and get them to stop supporting the armed Kurdistan Workers' Party riot, otherwise we will face the largest rebellion in Turkey since World War II, and if it is not handled well, we may really lose the eastern cities where Kurds gather." ”

Sabahhatin suddenly turned his head with concern and anxiety on his face, as if the PKK rebellion was happening right before his eyes. He walked straight up to Demirel and said with a solemn expression, "We must eradicate the soil of Kurdish rebellion at the root, and as long as the Soviet Union no longer supports the Kurds, then we can carry out a massacre of the Kurds." ”

The massacre, such an anti-humanitarian topic, came out of Sabahaldin's mouth as if it were as common as eating and drinking, and they were indeed very familiar with the Kurds. Kurdish hatred of Turkey comes from bloody massacres and ruthless government repression.

"The Holocaust?" Demirel said disdainfully, "Now do this to the Kurds and wait for sanctions, three of the five permanent members of the Security Council no longer support us, the Soviet Union and Britain want to see something happen to Turkey, so that they can sanction us." As for the United States, with its changed attitude, it is likely to become a supporter of the decisions of the USSR and Great Britain. Now for us, the situation is not optimistic. ”

"Sabahaddin, I don't want to turn Turkey into the next Iraq." Demirel took a deep breath, as if making a difficult decision.

"I am ready to visit Moscow and reach an agreement with those in the Kremlin on issues related to the near future." Demirel said euphemistically. Even if it is to ask for forgiveness, Turkey must maintain the last bit of dignity.

Hearing what Demirel said, Sabahatin shook his head, dignity? How much is the dignity of Turkey worth in the face of the torrent of steel in the USSR? (To be continued.) )