Rémi Trieau / Photo credit: Hiromi Uechi / Yomiuri / The Yomiuri Shimbun via AFP
This Sunday, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was officially re-elected as the head of Turkey. Winner against his socio-democratic rival Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the conservative candidate received the congratulations of many heads of state knowing that Turkey has a crucial diplomatic role.
After the re-election of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, several heads of state wanted to send their congratulations, starting with French President Emmanuel Macron, but also Vladimir Putin. A good understanding between Turkey and the rest of the world is crucial since it has a decisive diplomatic role regarding the migration crisis or the war in Ukraine. The Russian president was moreover one of the first to speak after the results of the presidential election, and did not hesitate to highlight his counterpart’s efforts to pursue an independent foreign policy.
For years, Ankara and Moscow have had a special relationship, first maintained by a rivalry in the Caucasus, Syria, Ukraine and Libya. But the Turks and the Russians eventually learned to get along. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has even become an essential partner of Moscow since he does not apply Western sanctions against Russia and has so far blocked Sweden’s accession to NATO. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Turkey has always leaned in favor of Russia.
In the coming months, the rapprochement already initiated between Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Bashar al-Assad will pass through Moscow. To detach Turkey from this Russian influence, Washington will have to make concessions by delivering, for example, F-16 and F-35 fighter planes to Ankara.