Russia and Turkey - who needs each other more?

Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 1 By Rufiz Hafizoglu – Trend: The protracted political crisis among Russia, the US and Europe sets a new goal for Moscow - to search for new allies, who could, and would support Russia in the world. Russia is also looking for countries where it could export products and technologies. Considering the above, Turkey is important for Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin is visiting Turkey today. And today, these are the two countries that have a lot to offer each other. Both Moscow and Ankara understand this. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan consistently advocates for the overthrow of Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad. Moscow, however, opposes such a move. This issue has become principal for Russia. It was possible to prevent the Western allies’ military intervention to Syria thanks to Russia. What can Russia offer in exchange for Ankara’s giving up its position? Today, the Kurdish issue is Turkey’s headache. However, ever since the USSR, Moscow has had great influence on the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which is considered to be a terrorist group in Turkey. Russia also has a great impact on one of the most influential players in the region, Turkey's largest neighbor - Iran. The cooperation between Russia and Turkey in the field of security, especially in terms of crisis in the Middle East and intensifying "Islamic state" terrorist group is important. We shouldn't forget about Turkey’s influence on the Crimean Tatars, having a great political weight in Ukraine’s breakaway region of Crimea. Energy plays an important role in the relations of the two countries. Today, Turkey is one of the biggest non-European buyers of Russian gas through the Blue Stream gas pipeline. And the recent decrease in supply is an impartial factor that will likely be discussed by the heads of the two countries. It is also possible that Turkey will make effort to convince Russia to reduce gas prices. Today, despite the countermeasures by Europe, Russia promotes the South Stream gas pipeline project. Turkey plays a key role in this project, since the gas pipeline will run to Europe namely through this country’s territory. Moreover, another important project envisaging the construction of Turkey’s first nuclear power plant – Akkuyu – will be implemented by Russia. Turkey and Russia aim to increase the volume of bilateral trade turnover to $100 billion. Currently, Russia ranks first among the trade and economic partners of Turkey, while Turkey ranks seventh among Russia’s trade partners. The departure of some European companies and manufacturers from the Russian market opens new opportunities for Turkey. Turkish and Russian presidents have a lot to discuss. Both countries need each other, however, the time and the results of the negotiations will show which of them needs the other more. Rufiz Hafizoglu is the head of the Trend Agency Arabic news service For any questions or feedback, follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Follow us on Twitter @TRENDNewsAgency