LastPoint.gr – May 18, 2017
The last two years we observe an oscillating state in the relations of the Turkish government with Moscow and Washington, since they change from benevolent quickly break and from broken they change into excellent and strategic.
The relationship between Ankara and Moscow, which was good in economic terms and with small political differences mainly on the issue of Syria, changed sharply in the end of 2015, diplomatically and economically, as a result of the Russian aircraft being dismantled on the border between Syria and Turkey . The tension was so great that some Russian politicians came to talk about a nuclear strike against Turkey. By mid-2016, the two countries’ relations returned to normal, and they even evolved into a political approach to the Syrian crisis.
Turkey’s relationship with Washington due to its NATO membership was separate until mid-last year when the country faced an attempted military coup against the Erdoğan government. The Turkish government has accused the organization of Fethullah Gülen, known as the “deep state,” that it is hiding behind the coup. While the Turkish authorities were asked to issue the preacher, Fethullah Gülen, who lives in the state of Pennsylvania, the Obama administration rejected the Turkish request in violation of strategic relations between the two countries, which led some Turkish politicians to blame her directly for participation in an attempted coup. Within this complex setting are the visits of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, both in Moscow and Washington.
On May 3rd, the Turkish President visited his Russian counterpart, in the presence of the Foreign and Economy Ministers and the heads of the intelligence services of the two countries. The closed-door meeting between the two sides lasted almost two hours. An authoritative source asserts that the debate contained three points. The first concerned bilateral economic relations with the Russian president to promise to lift the ban on the import of all Turkish products into the Russian market. The second point related to the Syrian crisis, for which the Russian President analyzed the Russian proposal in Astana, based on the creation of four “de-escalation areas” in Syria to reduce the conflict between the Syrian armed opposition and the Assad regime.
Thus, Moscow and Ankara will focus their efforts on controlling the ISIS areas in the eastern part of the country and cutting off the road to US-backed Kurdish forces. This proposal met with full Turkish support. The third point of the talks was related to the purchase by Turkey of the S 400 missile system, where the Russian president gave the green light for the deal. The Turkish President in his speech after meeting with his Russian counterpart reported that his two-day visit would change the scene across the region.
At the end of last week, a Turkish delegation including the Chief of the Turkish General Staff, accompanied by the representative of the Turkish President and the head of the Turkish intelligence service, went to Washington to prepare the visit of the Turkish President. A very well-informed source assured me that the talks between the two Presidents will turn around the Syrian crisis and the US-supported Kurdish militia in Syria. They will also talk about the organization of Fethullah Gülen. Finally, Ankara will reiterate its desire to procure Patriot defense systems before the S 400 agreement with Moscow is finally signed.
Despite the complexity of the Middle East setting, Ankara is still striving to balance its relations with international players. This is what some political observers call a game of fire. The Turkish President, depending on the results of his visit to Washington, will redefine his relations and commitments with Moscow.