From a statement by the office of the Turkish head of state It appears that Erdogan assured Putin of Turkey's further efforts to promote peace in Ukraine. This year alone, three rounds of talks between envoys of Ukraine and Russia were held in Istanbul. Despite all efforts, it was not possible to organize a meeting of the heads of the warring states.
However, there were small successes – talks held in May and June this year led to a series of prisoner exchanges and the return of the bodies of fallen soldiers. The two sides also exchanged memoranda of understanding regarding a ceasefire agreement, but otherwise no steps towards peace were made.
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A cynical game by the Turkish president
According to Dr. Witold Sokała, an expert in international relations, however, we are not dealing with any breakthrough. — President Erdogan talks to the parties to various conflicts. This is one of the hallmarks of his politics. This is his idea of building his capabilities in foreign policy. He does it consistently, but from an ethical point of view he is often criticized. However, it must be admitted that he is skillful in his cynical game – says Sokała.
He adds: – His policy is pragmatic and we could say multipolar – without being bound by permanent alliances. Erdogan is trying to pursue his country's current interests as effectively and brutally as possible.
Business with Ukraine and Russia
Our interlocutor points out that if Erdogan managed to play the role of mediator, he would achieve great success, both in terms of politics and image. However, Dr. Sokała sincerely doubts that Türkiye will play a special role here, because its potential is too small.
— However, he is trying to at least achieve his interests, which he has both in relations with Ukraine and Russia. First, Türkiye is a NATO member and has many conflicting interests with Russia, so Ukraine is its natural ally. Secondly, this is the issue of the Crimean Tatars, whom Türkiye takes very close care of, and whose situation is much worse under Russian rule than under Ukrainian rule. Türkiye here has a clear, strong position that Crimea – if only for this reason – should return to Ukraine. And thirdly, there are economic interests with Western countries that support Ukraine – explains Dr. Witold Sokała.
At the other extreme, there are no less important economic interests with Russia.
— First of all, energetic. The tourism sector is also very important for the very weak and troubled Turkish economy. Russians drive a large part of its turnover. Hence this very specific game of Erdogan, who, let us add, when other interests outweigh him, can be very hard on the Russians, for example in the Caucasus. Example? Many years of and very effective support for Azerbaijan against the then pro-Russian Armenia – translator by Dr. Sokała.
