Liberation: Why Turkey is afraid to take a stand in the Russia-Ukraine war

The French newspaper Liberation writes today that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tries to defend Ukraine without offending Russiastressing the possibility, in the near future, of Turkey being, after Ukraine, the country that will suffer the most from Russian aggression.

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

«The Turkish economy is in real recession “Compliance with EU and US sanctions will not be viable for the government,” Kemal Kiriski, a researcher on Turkey at the Brookings Institution, recalling that the 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 he had Turkey in mind when he said that. “Thus, Turkey should move carefully and follow a balanced approach as much as possible, while supporting Ukraine, at least rhetorically,” Kiriski said.

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. to defend NATO against Russia. In the long run, this 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: “Until now, Turkey has managed to show its neutrality. He 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, bringing two million more Syrian refugees to Turkey».

Source: News Beast

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