Russian-Turkish relations cracked under Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. According to political scientists, the steps taken by the leader pursued two main goals:
- To maximize the influence of Turkey in the Arab world. This was expressed in heated relations with Israel and support for Islamic religious movements of the Sunni direction.
- Through political and economic leverage, take Kurdish separatism under tight control.
What was the main cause of the political conflict?
The crisis in Russian-Turkish relations has been brewing for more than one day. A big annoying factor for Turkey, which claims to be the heiress of the great Ottoman Empire, was the emergence of a new strategic alliance, which Iran, Syria and Russia joined.
Iran, which had been under the yoke of European sanctions for 30 years, began to gradually emerge from isolation, while maintaining sustained economic development and independence. At the same time, Syria, led by Bashar Assad, is becoming a key ally of the state. It seemed that the Syrian leader had come to an end, but our country's intervention in the conflict caused a different scenario. It is not surprising that in such a turn of affairs, Russian-Turkish relations aggravated.
Russian military plane incident
Russian-Turkish relations deteriorated after the Su-24 bomber was destroyed by the Turkish military in northern Latakia. It happened on November 24, 2015.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made a statement stating that the Turkish move was regarded as nothing more than a provocation. After the incident, Russian President Vladimir Putin refused to meet with Erdogan at a summit in Paris.
The Turkish leadership did not want to make an official apology for the deed, and the reason for what happened was in the inattention of the Russian pilots who violated the air zone of a foreign state.
Russian response
Russian-Turkish economic relations were reviewed by the government of our country. An official decision was approved to introduce a series of bans on trade with Turkey. Investments were stopped, charter flights and the sale by tour operators of vouchers to Turkish resorts were prohibited. A visa-free regime was also lifted , restrictions were introduced on the quota for attracting Turkish citizens to Russia as a labor force.
In addition, Turkish companies were forbidden to conduct business in the field of construction, woodworking and hotel business. The exception was contracts concluded prior to the imposition of sanctions. Since the beginning of 2016, an embargo has been imposed on the import of flowers, poultry, fruits and vegetables.
Indirect losses amounted to lost cash from construction projects carried out by Turkish companies in Russia, as well as the implementation of large-scale joint projects.
Turkey did not take retaliatory steps. However, in February, Russian journalists were banned from entering Ankara without a visa. Also, citizens of the Russian Federation were forbidden to enter the territory of Turkey on official passports. Such a law was adopted in April 2016. However, Ankara collected documents to appeal against Moscow’s economic bans.
Relations between states today
Russian-Turkish relations after the conflict cannot be called crisis. The trade turnover between the countries was not completely stopped. Based on common economic interests, states continue to maintain trade relations in some areas.
What goods does Russia sell to Turkey?
Russia supplies to Turkey:
- gas;
- oil and products of its distillation;
- mineral fuel;
- agricultural products (wheat, barley, corn, sunflower oil);
- metals;
- iron ore;
- colored brooms (copper and aluminum);
- mineral fertilizers;
- wax;
- oils;
- animal and vegetable fats.
What does Turkey continue to supply to Russia?
The embargo did not touch:
- electrical equipment;
- automotive parts;
- textile;
- shoes;
- jewelry;
- medicines;
- chemical industry products;
- some food items.
Turkey remains a major supplier of parts for automobile plants, including KAMAZ and AvtoVAZ. Cardan shafts, seat windows, etc. are purchased.
The economic situation in Turkey today
Like any political player, Turkey pursues its specific interests, however, the course that was set by the government is gradually dragging the country into a prolonged crisis. The attempt to establish relations with the Kurdish minority and the ongoing conflict in Syria have already caused serious disagreements with the US leadership, and the tragic incident with a Russian military plane sharply heated relations with Moscow.
The forecast, containing little optimism, is given by Turkish MPs from the Republican Party. In their opinion, the country's GDP will decrease by 3%. In monetary terms, the state will incur a loss of $ 2 billion.
Drop in Turkish Export Termination Income
Turkish goods, the sale of which was banned in Russia, are represented by seventeen items.
These are products of the food segment:
- salt;
- cloves;
- grapes;
- some vegetables and fruits;
- citruses;
- poultry meat.
In addition, Turkish exporters increased their supply of salt after Russia banned the import of this product from Ukraine. Now the country has lost a huge Russian market.
Withering tourism business
For representatives of the tourism business, a black line has come. And this is despite the fact that a decree of the President of Russia Vladimir Putin introduced a number of amendments to the list of sanctions. From July 1, 2016, tour operators were allowed to start selling vouchers to this country. Nevertheless, there is a very low flow of tourists from Russia. Also, citizens from European countries are afraid to come to rest. According to the forecast, the loss in the tourism sector will be approximately $ 12 billion. This figure is $ 4 billion higher than previously thought.
In the summer, many hotels did not open. The number of unemployed has increased. Between the hotels that remained afloat, fierce competition erupted for each client. Problems of the tourism sector were reflected in related sectors of the economy.
The coup attempt exacerbated the already difficult situation in the country. A state in which there is no stability has ceased to be attractive for recreation.
Turkish Stream Project
What are the latest news on Russian-Turkish relations? On July 26, 2016, an official meeting was held between Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich and Turkish counterpart Mehmet Shimshek. One of the key issues was the resumption of the Turkish Stream project. Further discussion of this topic will continue at a separate meeting.
The agreement on the construction of the gas pipeline was reached in December 2014. The plan assumed that the capacity of the four branches of the system would be 63 billion cubic meters of gas per year. Of these, 16 billion were to be supplied to Turkey. After the complication of relations between the two countries, the project was suspended.
At the beginning of the operation of the first branch of the gas stream, Turkey was more interested, which currently receives Russian gas through the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline passing through Romania and Ukraine. Given the fact that the transit agreement concluded between Russia and Ukraine ends in 2019, the Turkish side could receive gas on more loyal terms.
In June 2016, Turkish President Recep Erdogan apologized for what happened in Latakia. Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the government to negotiate with the Turkish leadership.
Russian-Turkish relations today are an attempt to find compromises and solve many accumulated problems.
Turkish President to visit Russian Federation
Recep Tayyip Erdogan intends to visit our country in August 2016. The official meeting between the head of Turkey and Russian President Vladimir Putin will be held on August 9. It will discuss the prospects of Russian-Turkish relations. According to Mehmet Shimshek, the Turkish leadership is making every effort to quickly normalize cooperation with Russia, which was interrupted due to an incident with a Russian military aircraft.
Officially, Ankara claimed that the Turkish air border was violated by a bomber, but the Russian Defense Ministry made a statement that it was flying over the territory of Syria. As it turned out later, the Turkish military took such a step on their own, and the country's leadership did not know anything about it.
According to Shimshek, Turkish-Russian relations have always been friendly. Russia was a reliable partner.
In turn, Deputy Prime Minister Dvorkovich noted that the meeting with Mehmet Shimshek took place with the consent of both presidents. The purpose of the event was to prepare the main aspects of a future meeting of leaders.
How the history of Russian-Turkish relations will develop in the future, time will tell.