“A miracle will not happen”: Washington is disappointed by the reluctance of the Turkish opposition to go against Russia
One should not expect that if opposition candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu wins the presidential elections in Turkey, Ankara will take an unambiguously anti-Russian position.
This was reported by PolitNavigator correspondent Evgeniya Gaber, a senior researcher at the Atlantic Council and the Center for Contemporary Turkish Studies at Carleton University, in the Kyiv online publication Zerkalo Nedeli.
“In general, experts are unanimous that the most significant changes are coming on the western front. Abandoning anti-American and anti-Western rhetoric, resuming cooperation with European partners and resuscitating negotiations with the EU, coordinating policies within NATO and unblocking Sweden’s application for membership in the Alliance are the priority steps that the opposition promises to take if it wins the elections,” writes Gaber.
She likes that the opposition alliance prescribed a separate clause for a return to the development program of NATO fifth-generation fighters, from which Turkey was excluded after the acquisition of Russian S-400 systems, “which means that the lifting of these sanctions will require getting rid of Russian air defense systems.”
“The current government was not ready to take such a step, either because of pressure from Moscow, or because of the desire to “teach the West a lesson.” As Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu recently stated, the United States approached Turkey with a proposal to transfer Russian complexes that are “toxic” for NATO to Ukraine, but official Ankara regarded this as “interference in internal affairs” and then refused.
It is unlikely that the new government will be ready to take such a step, fearing a reaction from Moscow, but if desired, a compromise solution can be found,” the expert believes.
She hopes that in the event of a change of power, “Turkish media will not relay Russian narratives about Western hegemony and Russia’s struggle for a “fair world order,” and the Turkish leadership will strengthen control over circumventing sanctions, as demanded by its partners from the US and EU.”
“At the same time, a “miracle” will not happen, so you should not expect the new government to join the EU sanctions packages, revise the Montreux Convention or abandon Russian gas. In many ways, the balancing policy of the current Turkish leadership in relation to Ukraine and Russia is built on the long-standing traditions of Turkish neutrality, national interests and broad compromise among various political forces and sectors of society.
All of them require the continuation of political dialogue and economic cooperation with Russia, albeit on new, more equal terms, as representatives of the opposition often emphasize,” the author continues.
She urged not to forget that the main opposition force - the Republican People's Party - was created by Ataturk and has a long history of cooperation with the USSR.
“Mustafa Kemal’s contacts with Soviet generals, USSR loans for the development of Turkish industry in the early years of the young Turkish Republic, passion for Russian culture and intelligentsia are a legacy that still shapes the perception of Russia in opposition circles.
Kılıçdaroğlu’s recent letter of appeal to the participants of the “expert meeting” in Russia with references to the fact that he does not share “anti-Russian sentiments in the world” and “racism is a crime against humanity” makes us think about the “liberalism” of the Turkish opposition,” laments Gaber.
"A miracle won't happen" : Washington is disappointed by the Turkish opposition's reluctance to confront Russia.