New Turkey-Russia hotline still subject to static
Russia and Turkey are effusive about the positive gains in their relationship, but ties remain tenuous where Syria is concerned.
Only a year or so ago, Russian and Turkish newspapers were digging up reports of the last war between the countries and speculating what would happen if a new one broke out. But things are moving fast. The military channel of the dialogue that began with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s apology letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin was extended with the Sept. 15 visit of Russian Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov to Ankara.
A visit by the chief of staff after an 11-year hiatus is itself an important development, made even more so because it came soon after Turkey’s intervention in the Syrian war and coincides with the ongoing debate over Black Sea domination. At the end, the official statements of both sides were sweeter than honey.
The Russian Defense Ministry was positive in its statement: “The meeting provided an opportunity to facilitate assessments of the current situation in Syria and measures needed to support the cease-fire.”
The Turkish side also appeared to be very pleased with the visit. Turkish military sources said, “This visit realized after an 11-year interval was very positive and productive. Commonalities between the militaries of Turkey and the Russian Federation were further consolidated and opened the way to even more positive developments. This visit … is a signal of the Russian Federation’s acknowledgement of Turkey as a major power in the region. … We believe there will be positive reflections of this in the near future. Another important aspect of the visit is the understanding that regional problems can be solved through joint initiatives of regional countries.”
