Why TRÇİ (Türkiye Russia China İran)?

Prof. Dr. İlyas Topsakal, Deputy Chairman of the National Movement Party (MHP) and Member of Parliament for Samsun, made exclusive statements to Ulusal Kanal. Regarding MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli’s proposal for a Turkey–Russia–China alliance, Topsakal said:

“How will we establish a safe zone in our region? Who can establish a safe zone? Strong countries. Those who can do this are Turkey, Russia, and China.”

Regarding Iran, Topsakal added:

“Iran’s existence is very important alongside Turkey’s existence. And Turkey’s existence is very important alongside Iran’s existence.”

Topsakal made the following assessments regarding developments in Turkey and the region:

‘THE CHAIRMAN’S ASSESSMENT IS A HISTORICAL REALITY’

“The assessment of our Chairman (Devlet Bahçeli) is a historical reality. Because when the Warsaw Pact collapsed in the post-Soviet order, America remained the sole power. We also need to assess the present. America is no longer as strong as it used to be; after losing its power and control, a new order needs to be established. This proposal is the answer to the question of how to build that order.”

‘PEOPLE COULD NOT ESCAPE WAR’

“When the world was bipolar, it was very simple. The concepts of the Western and Eastern blocs were clear, and so were their actions. But after America became the hegemon, it ruthlessly exploited the world until the early 2010s. It promised happiness, made pledges to people, and claimed that the liberal order was a good system. Yet when you look at Eastern Europe in particular, as well as Russia, India, China, South America, and Africa— look, we are talking about three-quarters of the world—none of the people there escaped death. They could not escape disease. They could not escape wars. I am not even talking about the historical past of the imperialist mentality and its exploitative system.”

‘RUSSIA HAS RED LINES’

“Starting from 2010, we began to see political documents. Things could not continue this way. The first warning came from Russia. In those documents, Russia said the world would no longer be the same, Eastern Europe was very dangerous, and although agreements were made—such as in Malta—neither the European Union, NATO, nor especially the United States complied with the terms. They were not listening, and the situation was becoming very dangerous. Why? Because unstable zones were emerging in Eastern Europe. First Ukraine, and second—often overlooked—Belarus. You know the events there. At that time, we conducted many academic studies on Ukraine and warned: war is at the door, Russia has red lines—do not cross them. What are they? Do not enter Russia’s security space. Do not touch the Russian minorities in Ukraine, especially the Russian Orthodox minority. Do not touch the Russian language. This region is a red-line zone.”

‘THE CAUSE OF THE WAR IS NOT THE RUSSIANS’

“What did the agreements say? Eastern European countries would not enter the NATO framework. Threatening weapons would not be deployed in the region. Nuclear restrictions would be imposed. Russia would be given a security space. But these terms were violated. That is the reason for the war. The cause of the war is not the Russians. This has been explained many times. Yet ultimately, unwanted events occurred, and today we see an area where millions of people have been killed. Do you remember the events in Georgia? First Georgia, then Armenia was destabilized. You know the Karabakh Operation—there was solidarity involving Russia, Turkey, and even Pakistan, as well as China, wasn’t there?”

‘THE U.S. SAW CHINA AS A POTENTIAL RIVAL’

“When Biden was elected, he said, ‘The world order is not working. Then we need to reshape the world.’ In other words, America can no longer govern the world. So a new order must be established that allows it to govern. Does America want strong regional states, gray zones, and safe areas? No. That means regional areas must be made unstable. That is why China is now a real concern for America. The U.S. military security document was published this week, and it clearly sees China as a potential rival—economically for sure. Militarily, it knows China does not yet have the same capacity as Russia. Hence the concept: ‘Russia and China must not come together.’ Because if they do, one complements the economy while the other provides the missing military capacity, creating a global balance.”

‘THE WORLD IS MOVING IN ONE DIRECTION’

“The European Union cannot make decisions on its own. Militarily, it has no real power. This means the world is moving in one direction. The most advantageous countries are: first, Russia, which recognized this early; second, China, which already has a system and constantly renews its risk areas; third, India; fourth, Turkey—a very important country. Sometimes negative events bring positive outcomes. The FETÖ coup attempt showed how the state revised itself and how national forces came together. These are very positive developments. The fifth country was actually Brazil, which had made great progress, but politics is dangerous. We face similar risks—when you lose in politics, all your projects can collapse.”

‘CHINA MUST ALSO BE INCLUDED’

“Russia and Turkey are very similar countries in terms of human capacity. Our greatest point of intersection is the Turkic republics. We lived together for 200–300 years; genetically, we migrated from those lands—we are relatives. As our Chairman said, Turkey and Russia are not enough; China must also be included. What is Turkey’s historical perimeter? North Africa. Palestine is essentially us—we were there 100 years ago. Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Iran are our historical brothers. When this geography is at war, Turkey automatically becomes unstable. Why are Turkey, Russia, and Iran important together? Blood was flowing in Syria—rivers of blood. Who stopped it? The Astana Process. It’s that simple.”

‘IRAN AND IRAQ ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO US’

“We must listen carefully to our elders. There was an intervention in Iraq under the pretext of democracy. It has been 25 years—children and women were raped and killed. Nearly two million women and children died, people were displaced, property and systems were destroyed. Who lost? Iraq. Iran is very important to us. Didn’t the same happen in Syria? Everyone lost. They are not coming here for democracy; they come so people kill each other. Iran’s existence is vital alongside Turkey’s, and Turkey’s existence is vital alongside Iran’s. Both are vital alongside Russia. If Turkey is secure, Russia is secure; if Russia is secure, Turkey is secure.”

‘WE MUST ESTABLISH SAFE ZONES’

“We must establish safe zones; this world is chaotic. How will we do this? Who can establish safe zones? Strong countries. Turkey, Russia, and China—just as our Chairman said. This is the most logical approach. What has Turkey done recently? The Organization of Turkic States, even including Hungary. Turkey has reshaped its concept around safe zones. But Russia, China, and Iran must also contribute to this safe zone.”

‘THE MOST IMPORTANT CENTER IS THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN’

“Who established the liberal system after World War II? America. Who is actually attacking today? Israel and America. They rendered the United Nations ineffective and started wars— against everyone. This shows that the world’s most important center is the Eastern Mediterranean. Then came Kashmir between India and Pakistan, a fourth area; Taiwan and China became the fifth. The world has seen the worst: a head of state was taken from his bed, with an illusion of legality imposed on the world. Venezuela has its own law—its president was elected. Iran is accused of not being democratic, yet look at Iraq—millions dead; Libya—ruins behind you; Syria—a devastated people; Africa destroyed; Eastern Europe destroyed. Is the claim really democracy?”