Liberation: Turkey may be the next country to suffer from Russian aggression

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is trying to defend Ukraine without offending Russia, the French newspaper Liberation points out, stressing that in the near future, Turkey, after Ukraine, will be the country that will suffer the most from Russia. aggressiveness.

Turkey on Sunday acknowledged the “state of war” between Russia and Ukraine, which authorizes it, under the Montreux Convention, to restrict the two warring parties’ access to the Dardanelles Straits, the newspaper’s correspondent in Turkey said. that this is a complicated decision due to Ankara’s economic dependence on Moscow.

“The Turkish economy is in a real recession and compliance with EU and US sanctions will not be viable for the government,” Kemal Kiriski, a researcher on Turkey at the Brookings Institution, told Liberation, recalling that Russian President Vladimir Putin has openly stated that it will treat all countries that observe sanctions as “hostile” nations. I would not be surprised if it had Turkey in mind when it said this. “the most balanced approach possible, while supporting Ukraine, at least rhetorically,” Kiriski commented. Asked if the Ukrainian crisis could ultimately prove to be an opportunity for Turkish foreign policy, he said: “The West understands how important it is to have Turkey on its side if it wants to deter Putin and if deterrence fails. “NATO’s defense against Russia. In the long run, that could be beneficial for Turkey. But in the near future, Turkey, after Ukraine, could be the country that suffers the most from this Russian aggression.”

At the same time, the director of the French Institute of Oriental Studies, Bairam Balci, told Libération: “So far, Turkey has shown its neutrality. It is afraid to take a stand in this war. But closing the Straits would be a clear statement. “Russia could then respond by bombing Idlib, which would bring two million more Syrian refugees to Turkey.”

Source: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ