Matthew Bryza: Putin and Erdogan are strong leaders

Certain similarities in political figures of Russian and Turkish presidents, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, ensure inevitability of their reconciliation, former US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Matthew Bryza said in an interview with Vestnik Kavkaza, commenting on reason why Erdogan decided to reduce tension in the relations between Moscow and Ankara.

"Presidents Putin and Erdogan are similar in several important aspects. Both strong and proud leaders with ambitions to ensure leading positions for their countries, both in the neighboring regions and in a broader sense. They both feel the need to look stronger than any other competitor in the domestic politics, and therefore, it is difficult for them to take a step back in the confrontation. Nevertheless, they both understand the importance of strong relationship between their countries, especially for economic reasons," he said.