Russia expert says Turkey’s role important for stability in Mideast
Turkey and Russia, both empires in the past, have been rediscovering themselves and becoming major players in the world, but Turkey is better positioned than the Russians to be a force for stability in the Middle East, said Dmitri Trenin, director of the Moscow center of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace based in Washington, D.C.
“Russia has limited interests in the region. There are a few projects that Gazprom and the Russian Railways have been implementing in Libya, and some arms trade with Syria and Algeria,” he told Today’s Zaman in İstanbul after his participation in a March 8 roundtable meeting organized by the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV).
He added that Russia is involved in tourism from Marrakech to Dubai and that it closely watches increasing oil prices as revolutions in the Arab world continue. “In the Middle East itself, the Russian Federation, unlike the Soviet Union, has no geopolitical designs,” he said. “Unlike the United States, Russia has no clients in the region to push out, in the name of democracy, or bail out, in the name of strategic interests,” he said.
He also said unlike the European Union, Russia has promoted no special partnerships with North African countries in the hope that they become “more like them” so their people can stay home. Additionally, he said unlike China, Russia does not need Middle Eastern oil. “And, of course, unlike Turkey, Russia has no model to offer to the newly free countries of the region,” Trenin said.
When it comes to how Turkey is viewed by Russia compared to other important players in the Middle East, especially Iran, he said Turkey’s own course of action, willingness and ability to defend what it is doing has been appreciated in Moscow.
“Iran is not viewed as a country that fills Russia with confidence, but Turkey is a transparent country and has a transparent foreign policy that Russia can trust,” he said, adding that the Turkish model in the region is more preferable for Moscow than it was 10 or 20 years ago.
“The Turkish model is not seen as a Western product. It’s very much an indigenous product that embraces universal values -- democracy and secularism,” he said.
On the contrary, he said the Iranian influence is seen as having much to do with religion, and Iran’s opposition to the United States is seen as provoking Washington into dangerous actions.
The expert said whether Egypt and the countries of the region will emerge as moderate Muslim states or become radical Islamic nations is important for Russia because the latter carries risks for the North Caucasus and Central Asia. He said exchanges among Turkish and Russian academics and civil society are important for learning from the Turkish experience in dealing with Islamic radicalism.
by YONCA POYRAZ DOĞAN, İSTANBUL
source: http://www.todayszaman.com/news-237684-russia-expert-says-turkeys-role-important-for-stability-in-mideast.html
“Russia has limited interests in the region. There are a few projects that Gazprom and the Russian Railways have been implementing in Libya, and some arms trade with Syria and Algeria,” he told Today’s Zaman in İstanbul after his participation in a March 8 roundtable meeting organized by the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV).
He added that Russia is involved in tourism from Marrakech to Dubai and that it closely watches increasing oil prices as revolutions in the Arab world continue. “In the Middle East itself, the Russian Federation, unlike the Soviet Union, has no geopolitical designs,” he said. “Unlike the United States, Russia has no clients in the region to push out, in the name of democracy, or bail out, in the name of strategic interests,” he said.
He also said unlike the European Union, Russia has promoted no special partnerships with North African countries in the hope that they become “more like them” so their people can stay home. Additionally, he said unlike China, Russia does not need Middle Eastern oil. “And, of course, unlike Turkey, Russia has no model to offer to the newly free countries of the region,” Trenin said.
When it comes to how Turkey is viewed by Russia compared to other important players in the Middle East, especially Iran, he said Turkey’s own course of action, willingness and ability to defend what it is doing has been appreciated in Moscow.
“Iran is not viewed as a country that fills Russia with confidence, but Turkey is a transparent country and has a transparent foreign policy that Russia can trust,” he said, adding that the Turkish model in the region is more preferable for Moscow than it was 10 or 20 years ago.
“The Turkish model is not seen as a Western product. It’s very much an indigenous product that embraces universal values -- democracy and secularism,” he said.
On the contrary, he said the Iranian influence is seen as having much to do with religion, and Iran’s opposition to the United States is seen as provoking Washington into dangerous actions.
The expert said whether Egypt and the countries of the region will emerge as moderate Muslim states or become radical Islamic nations is important for Russia because the latter carries risks for the North Caucasus and Central Asia. He said exchanges among Turkish and Russian academics and civil society are important for learning from the Turkish experience in dealing with Islamic radicalism.
by YONCA POYRAZ DOĞAN, İSTANBUL
source: http://www.todayszaman.com/news-237684-russia-expert-says-turkeys-role-important-for-stability-in-mideast.html
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