Turkish Foreign Policy: Image and expectation

 
It is possible to evaluate the Turkish foreign policy via different parameters. It is obvious that Turkey has been pushed away from Egypt by the junta since Turkey continues to support the Egyptian opposition. Another apparent image of Turkey is that Turkey is seen as a country which supports the Al-Nusra Front so as to aid the Syrian opposition. Taking these two images, Turkey has been claimed to conduct sectarian politics.  Another important fact is that the Turkish Prime Minister has declared his wish to be a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in several occasions. His wish to this end is surely linked to the purchase of the air-and-missile defense system from China.
When we take the above mentioned parameters and other important relations into account, here is the image Turkey displays: Turkey is ruled by an increasingly conservative and authoritarian Government which keeps European countries aloof and gets closer with the East and its axis shifts towards Russia and China. In addition, it draws back from the Mediterranean, Syria and Iraq, Caucasia and the Balkans, leaving them respectively to Egypt-Cyprus-Israel axis, Iran, Russia and the EU.  
For a long time, a propaganda which proves this image as reasonable and logical has been on progress. Nonetheless, the image and truths do not get along.
Investment for the future
For instance, one cannot know for sure whether the junta will be in power and the opposition will be suppressed in Egypt for good. Which game changer will get on the stage to run the relations with the West when the balances of power change? It should also be noted that there are some circles in Turkey which supports the reinforcement of Russia in Egypt. How can one assure that Russia will not be virtually very powerful, that the future government will not be pro-Russia or at least it will have close ties with the West? The Ikhwan will surely not cooperate with Israel.
A similar situation applies also to Syria. There are and will be the representatives of opposition parties in Syrian government. Parties supported by Iran-Russia and other parties supported by Turkey will be together. Hence, Syria will have a team which will be able to connect with the West through Turkey. In Iraq, on the other hand, Irbil-Turkey channel undoubtedly opens to the West.
When the Arab Spring broke out, the US and the EU, which supported the opposition parties in all countries, drew back due to the "extremism" of the opposition parties and the Russian pressure.  The initial goal of the game was to will it "all", whereas the parties will consent to a "half" victory now.
Consent to a half victory
What was missing in the half victory game was the ruling out of "extremist Sunnite" groups and simultaneously inclusion of Iran into the game. Russia and the US have definitely come to terms on this matter.
American allies needed to step back so that Iran could participate in the game; that was the reason of the conflict between Israel, Saudi Arabia and the US. These two countries were the gate through which Iran could pass and got in the game. Turkey is, on the other hand, the guarantor of the gate opening to Iran. Iran will have a presence in Turkey as much as it has in Iraq and Syria. Turkey needed to normalize its relations with Tehran and Baghdad while coming to terms with Israel and keeping on controlling the opposition parties so that Turkey can serve its mission as the guarantor. Convergence with Irbil can be seen as a buffer in this equilibrium.  
Turkey's image as shifting towards the East can only excite the Europe since the relations with the EU is mission in this fiction. EU negotiation process can enable Turkey to conduct this process with minimum risk. The EU is apparently still hesitant about Turkey. We can say that the risk of losing Turkey can help them make up their minds.