Turkey's expectations from the upcoming official talks between the Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Moscow are extremely high in Moscow, Turkish political scientists told Vestnik Kavkaza.
An associate professor of the Faculty of International Relations of the TOBB University of Economics and Technology (Ankara), Togrul Ismail, stressed that it is a very important visit for Turkey. "They will discuss at the bilateral meetings various methods for improving our strategic relations in economy. The Syrian issue will be no less significant, since Turkey and Russia have already been able to find a common language and intend to develop cooperation. We expect positive talks on energy projects, which are important for both countries, and regional security in the Black Sea and the Caucasus. The meeting will be focused on the improvement of bilateral relations to the pre-crisis level," Ismail expects.
The expert of the Strategic Outlook Institute, Mehmet Fatih Oztarsu, predicts discussion of yet unresolved issues within the framework of the 6th meeting of the Russian-Turkish Cooperation Council at the highest level. "In particular, it will be the abolition of visas and the improvement of trade relations. Of course, one of the key issues will be the settlement of the Syrian crisis. Ankara will bring to Moscow's attention its concern over the fight against the PKK in Syria, since Turkey has not yet obtained the necessary guarantees from Russia. In addition, in the light of the deterioration of its relations with Germany, I think there will be big curtsey of Turkish politicians towards Russia," Oztarsu believes.
Political scientist Burhan Ozkoshar drew attention to the potential for rapprochement between Russia and Turkey, which has remained after settling the political crisis. "The normalization of relations takes years. Turkey has been moving towards the West for years, and even given the fact that economy is the main goal of the countries in the new realities, Ankara can no longer easily withdraw from its Western partners. Although Turkey's relations with Germany and the United States have deteriorated, we should expect that after the constitutional referendum on April 16 all the issues regarding these countries will be settled," the expert believes.
"Therefore, at the meeting with Putin, most likely, Syria will be the main topic, since the issue related to the PKK militants is very worrisome for Turkey. Russia, in turn, seeks regional support in the person of Iran, China and Turkey, and for Ankara it is a unique opportunity to optimize its foreign policy," Burkhan Ozkoshar stressed.
Political scientist Aydin Sezer pointed to the importance for Turkey of the forthcoming Erdogan's meetings in Moscow. "Turkey is trying to normalize its relations with Russia in every way, but now, in connection with the active actions within the framework of the Syrian crisis settlement, the issue of normalization has gone to the back burner. Our leaders each time discuss Syria's future rather than Russian-Turkish ties. I hope that this time economic issues will also be involved, since Turkey is currently experiencing export problems with Russia. In particular, our citizens get visas with great difficulty, which are valid for only 3 days. There are also unresolved issues in the sphere of tourism and labor," he concluded.
Yesterday Erdogan has started his working visit to Moscow to participate in the sixth meeting of the Russian-Turkish Cooperation Council of the highest level, on the sidelines of which the leaders of the two countries will meet.
