Russian-Turkish relations are now at their peak, but this is not the limit – in future they will continue to strengthen, as both countries attach the utmost importance to mutual cooperation, Turkish Ambassador to Russia, Umit Yardim, said today during a conference dedicated to the 95th anniversary of the establishment of Russian-Turkish diplomatic relations, which was held at the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
According to him, over the past ten years Russia and Turkey have got closer than during the entire 20th century, thanks to the strategic course of the authorities to the planned development of the partnership.
Yardim stressed that Turkey today is markedly different from what it was ten years ago. "This is a country that has found its place in the international arena. We perceive the role of Turkey as a country that exceeds its geographical boundaries, affecting many regions. 10-15 years ago we almost had no weight in the region, and now the Middle East and South Caucasus listen to us. This is achieved by a bold display of position, the striving not to hide controversial issues, because we understand that the world is developing rapidly. Only readiness for dialogue allows us to develop our position," he believes.
The ambassador said that "the Russian diplomatic community is very experienced, and I am proud to say that Russian colleagues are an example to us in many areas. We will never allow tragic moments in history to become a subject of political bargaining, because Turkey and Russia had most tragic moments in the past centuries," Umit Yardim noted, concluding that Russia and Turkey has a great future.
The Chief Adviser to the Turkish Prime Minister, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Professor Gokhan Cetinsaya, in his turn, said that to ensure peace in the region in a changing geopolitical world map of Russia and Turkey we should remember key moments of joint history. "Since the end of the 18th century to the end of the Cold War "the main question of Turkey's foreign policy was actually strategic partnership with Russia. The Ottoman Empire was experiencing serious disturbances on the approach of Russia to its borders, it had a large number of Christians and Slavic peoples who were sympathetic to Russia," he said.
