Russia and Turkey may quickly restore relations to the level of last September, but it will not remove the contradictions that exist between them on key issues of international policy, Mikhail Remizov the President of the National Strategy Institute said in an interview with a ‘Vestnik Kavkaza’ correspondent, commenting the result of the telephone conversation between presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"Certainly, these negotiations can be called the first major step on the way to the restoration of working, and partner relations, but the conflict is not settled, and it is not the matter of the downed a plane, but the war in Syria. Positions of the parties remain in largely conflicting. The situation here is quite difficult and far from settlement. Russia and Turkey had a conflict our to Syria,’’ the expert explained.
At the same time, in his opinion, the issue of the restoration of relations is not only in Presidents’ powers, but also in the plane of the societies of the two countries. "The fact that Turkey has fully complied with Russia’s conditions should be confirmed by President Putin and then announced the Russian society about this. It is not the matter of personal insult in respect of President Putin and the entire nation, but the soldier who was killed after the Russian plane was downed. Erdogan should apologize to the whole of Russia, not just to Vladimir Putin, and only after that we can discuss restoration of relations. The telephone conversation is not enough for the settlement of the conflict,’’ Mikhail Remizov said.
He added that according to the official statement by the Kremlin press service, economic contacts will be restoring. "The main barrier for tourism is not political constraints, but security concerns, as well as a negative attitude of the public opinion towards Turkey," the expert said.
Restoring economic relations will require political guarantees. "I find it difficult to assess how infrastructure presence of Turkish companies reduced in Russia – in construction and other sectors where they traditionally operated. I think the basic infrastructure has been preserved, and it can it increase its capacity if desired. However, political tension not terminated, and such large-scale projects as, the nuclear power plant, which Russia is building at his own expense in Turkey, require long-term political trust. This condition is not being fulfilled,’’ said Mikhail Remizov, urging to de preserve such projects.
At the same time, he acknowledged that from a political point of view both presidents showed profitable way out of the conflict situation. "The smaller the conflict zone around our country, the stronger our position in other areas. If we want to have a good negotiating position in the West and in the East, we should not have such an open conflict with Turkey. It is also necessary to discuss our relations with Ukraine, as Turkey has managed to build the so-called regional strategic alliance with Ukraine. Therefore, it is politically profitable that Putin and Erdogan showed that they are turning the conflict page,’’ expert concluded.
