Polarised by the Syrian conflict, and one of the most intriguing political developments of recent years, there was a tri-partite meeting in Ankara on April 4th2018 of the alliance referred to as ‘Troika’, reinforced with a summit in Tehran between the presidents of Turkey, Russia and Iran on September 7th 2018.
At the meeting in Ankara, the parties pledged to support the “territorial integrity” of Syria, find a diplomatic end to the war, and to begin a reconstruction of a Syria devastated by seven years of war.
Turkey
From 1987 Turkey tried to become a full member of the European Union but this has been repeatedly blocked by a number of EU members over some of Turkey’s foreign policies, particularly long running issues over Cyprus and internal human rights issues.
Has NATO’s second largest army, after the USA and is an Islamic nation with President Erdogan historically critical of Israeli treatment of Palestinians however, attempts are now being made to normalise relations with Israel.
While most NATO countries condemned Moscow for the recent attack on two Russians in Britain, the Turks pointedly did not.
Turkish relations with Russia have an economic side as well. Ankara wants a natural gas pipeline from Russia, has broken ground on a $20 billion Russian nuclear reactor, and just shelled out $2.5 billion for Russia’s S-400 anti-aircraft system.
In recent years, Erdogan has been busy establishing military bases in Qatar and Somalia, and most recently reached an agreement with the Sudan to acquire a Sudanese island in the Red Sea to be used as forward military base.
Russia
Increasingly bold in its defiance of the UN, of national borders and determined to impose itself on the world political stage.
Moscow’s goals are to keep a foothold in the Middle East with its only base, Tartus, and to aid its long-time ally, Syria.
Turkey provides a direct route to Syria for Russia.
This ‘plan’ was printed in a Turkish national newspaper on December 12th 2017 calling for an Islamic invasion of Israel.
Iran
Iran’s major concern in Syria is maintaining a buffer between itself and the very aggressive U.S., Israeli, and Saudi alliance, which may be in the preliminary stages of planning a war against the second-largest country in the Middle East.
What Tehran needs most of all is allies who will shield it from the enmity of the U.S., Israel and Saudi Arabia and in this regard, Turkey and Russia could be helpful.
Meanwhile, Libya and Algeria are already closely aligned with Russia and hostile to Israel, and Sudan is a radical Islamic Sunni state allied with Iran and Russia that is anti-Israel.
What does this mean?
Over 3,000 years ago Ezekiel wrote down the details of a future war against Israel waged by a group of nations from the north.
Ezekiel 38: 1 – 9 – The word of the Lordcame to me:“Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog (Russia),.. prophesy against him and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you,.. I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army—your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords. Persia (Iran), Cush (Ethiopia)and Put (Libya or Somalia)will be with them, all with shields and helmets, also Gomer (Russia, Turkey or Germany)with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah (Turkey / Armenia) from the far north with all its troops — the many nations with you… In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety. You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land.
This alliance is forming in our time in front of our eyes, why now?
What else does the Bible tell us about?– The Future
What does this mean for me? – Good News