Is the 'Angry man of Europe' actually a 'Sick man'? Erdoğan’s health matters.

Is the 'Angry man of Europe' actually a 'Sick man'? Erdoğan’s health matters. HT: TodaysZaman.

The rumors that have been circulating about the physical and psychological well-being of Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan were fanned in the last two weeks with fresh claims by the country's popular whistleblower Fuat Avni, who said the president took a trip to Cuba to undergo an alternative medical treatment.

Claims by Avni -- who has been revealing confidential information from the president's inner circle for some time -- cannot be easily brushed aside because the predictions he has shared with his followers on Twitter have so far come true

Perhaps it is no coincidence that his private physician, Professor Sadettin Hülagü, is a professor of gastroenterology. In May 2014, Erdoğan visited him at his home in İzmit for a meeting that lasted an hour. Hülagü told reporters that the visit was a courtesy visit and denied claims of providing a medical exam at his home.

Avni first broke the news on Erdoğan's new caretaker, İbrahim Adnan Saraçoğlu -- a biochemist and microbiologist known for his research on the healing effects of plants -- who was secretly escorted to the presidential palace in Beştepe, Ankara, in January. A series of tweets posted by Avni on Jan. 24 alleged that Erdoğan is suffering from prostatitis and benign prostatic hyperplasia for which Saraçoğlu has prepared some 300 herbal cures, including remedies involving broccoli, to help treat the president.

Avni said Erdoğan gave up his hopes on modern medicine and is seeking alternative treatments for an illness he did not disclose.

The whistleblower also claimed that the president's Airbus A330-200 jet made an unannounced stop in Houston, Texas, on his return to Turkey from Mexico because of a health emergency involving Erdoğan.

He asserted that the president secretly underwent an alternative treatment in Cuba. The herbal treatment was prepped by a team in advance and care providers were on hand upon Erdoğan's arrival. If Avni's claims are true, Erdoğan was almost put into intensive care after the first treatment when he had difficulty breathing.

If these allegations about Erdoğan's health are true, the defection of Hakan Fidan, former head of Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MİT) and once a close confidante to Erdoğan, may have something to do with Erdoğan's health troubles.

One may argue that Fidan realized Erdoğan won't be around much longer so it would therefore be better to ally with Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu who is motivated to consolidate his power at the expense of Erdoğan. Just like in domestic politics, Erdoğan's health troubles may also expose him to extortions and blackmail in foreign matters if his alleged illness is known to third parties, turning him into a national security risk.  Read the full story here.