Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1939. TURKEY KEEPS FAITH.

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 October 1939, Page 6

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1939. TURKEY KEEPS FAITH.

JN spite of strenuous efforts to persuade Turkey to conclude a pact of mutual assistance, Soviet diplomacy appears to have received a definite setback. The Russian invitation to the Turkish Foreign Minister (M. Sukru Saracoglu) to visit Moscow, was followed by an extensive propaganda campaign by the Soviet radio stations, lavish compliments being paid to Ihe Turks, but this appears to have been in vain. It was evident, during the past few days, that ail was not well with the negotiations, and although some sources reported that an agreement had been signed, others declared that a deadlock had developed. The Moscow correspondent of the “New York Times,”'. Air. G. E. R. Gedye, whose recent despatches have shown him to be more than usually well-informed, hinted at a last-minute hitch, and this was confirmed by the news that fresh proposals had been made to Turkey. This was followed by the announcement of the Turkish Prime Minister, to the effect that the negotiations had failed, the new proposals being “incompatible with Turkey’s commitments to England and France, and, therefore, contrary to the interests of Turkish security.” Offi- .

cial circles in Ankara have throughout maintained that Turkey would respect her engagements with the Allies, and it now seems that, so far as the latest Soviet move is concerned, there is no ground for Russian delight, M. Stalin, heating Herr Hitler at his own game, has recently been ' drawing one Ralkan State after another, —Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and possibly Finland,— under the influence of the Kremlin. In the case of Turkey, however, he has met with sterner material, probably owing to the fact that the Turks are well able to look after themselves, even in the face of Soviet threats. The desire of Russia to persuade Turkey to close the Dardanelles to warships of all belligerent nations is an obvious move for further domination in the Balkans. If it succeeded, it would mean that Britain and France would be unable to despatch naval assistance to any of the Black Sea countries, particularly Roumania. The Dardanelles has been described as one of the key points in the seaways of the world. It is unique in that it commands the only entrance to and exit from a great sea where Russia possesses the port of Odessa, Roumania the port of Constanza, and Bulgaria the port of Varna. It is to the Black Sea what the Straits of Gibraltar are to the Mediterranean, only more so, in that there exists no alternative exit. As a consequence of the Great War, Turkey lost much of her power, and the penalties included the neutralisation of the Dardanelles. Under the rule of Kemal Ataturk, however, the complete collapse of Turkey was averted, and she has since gained greatly in- power and prestige. Under' the Convention of Montreux, 1936, she regained the right to fortify the Dardanelles. Some idea of the present-day strength of the Turks is given by the reported statement of M. Saracoglu, that they are prepared to mobilise no fewer than two million men. Evidence of Turkey’s preparedness is also shown by projected antiaircraft exercises in the Dardanelles, following the transfer of her fleet from the Sea of Marmora. Mutual aid pacts were concluded this year by Britain and France with Turkey. According to a British writer, the importance of the pact cannot be over-estimated. Firstly, it means ' access to the Black Sea, and finis contact with Roumania, a British ally and a land of wheat and oil, which German.? covets. Secondly, it means ensuring, the safety of British interests in the eastern Mediterranean and in Asia, and of the Mesopotamian and Persian oil wells. The security of British India, the Suez Canal route, and of the Iraq oil wells depends directly on the sympathies of the Powers who control the Dardanelles and the Black Sea. The pact further assures the safety of the Egyptian rear, in the event of an attack from Libya on Egypt and the Suez Canal. -In the circumstances, therefore, it is gratifying that Turkey apparently intends to honour her pacts with the Allies. A favourable indication in this connection is the visit to London of the Turkish military mission, headed by General Orbay, who is known to hold pro-British opinions, for the discussion of matters of common interest to the two countries.