Turkey and Russia restore strategic ties after months of rift

Europe, News August 9, 2016 , by IRIA No Comments

Russia and Turkey took a big step towards normalizing ties at a time when both countries have strained relations with the West

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed to mend ties, beginning the process of restoring economic ties damaged after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane in November.

Both leaders have took a big step towards normalizing ties at a time when both countries have strained relations with the West.

Turkey’s President met his Russian counterpart at Konstantinovsky Palace near St. Petersburg on Tuesday in the Turkish leader’s first trip abroad since the coup attempt.

Erdogan said that “Turkish-Russian relations have indeed embarked on a positive course” — further signs of outreach despite deep rifts that include being on opposing sides in Syria.

The two leaders have come with a “roadmap” to help bring Russia-Turkey relations to a new level.

“The restoration of bilateral ties would benefit both Turkey and Russia,” Putin said.

Erdogan agreed with Putin and said Turkish-Russian solidarity would also help in resolving regional issues.

“This visit seems to me a new milestone in bilateral relations, beginning with a clean slate, and I personally, with all my heart and on behalf of the Turkish nation salute Mr Putin and all Russians,” Erdogan said in an interview with Russian state media on the eve of his visit.

Before the meeting, Putin said: “Your visit today, despite a very difficult situation regarding domestic politics, indicates that we all want to restart dialogue and restore relations.”

The meeting of two leaders has also revived hopes towards the implementation of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline project. Its aim is to deliver 47 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas to Central Europe and the Balkans. “We are ready to promptly take steps towards the implementation of this project, discuss it and make a decision,” TASS quoted Erdogan as saying in an interview.

Economic relations were fractured between the nations after the downing of Russian jet. Turkey later apologized for the incident in June.

Erdogan and Putin are now looking for new levels of cooperation, both militarily and economically, between Ankara and Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that restoring trade ties with Turkey will take time and work. “Ahead of us lies painstaking work to resuscitate trade and economic cooperation. This process has already started but it will take some time,” Putin told media.

Moscow and Ankara still largely disagree on Syria. Moscow is a critical backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Syrian Army while Turkey supports rebel factions in the more than five-year conflict.

According to Dr Husein Bagci, International relations professor at the Middle East Technical University, “The Turkish president has realized that to fight ISIS [Islamic State/IS, also ISIL] is equally important and Turkey cannot do it alone, and with the European countries Turkey was not getting enough help in this sense.”

Erdogan’s visit to Russia, his first outside the country after a failed coup last month, is draped in symbolism as Turkey’s relationships with the United States and the European Union have eroded significantly.

According to this news analysis, “There is a deepening sense in Turkey that its Western allies have failed the solidarity test, given the threat to its existence posed by the July 15 coup attempt.”