Putin-Erdogan talks signal ‘restart process’

Gevorg Petrosyan, Expert on Turkish Studies

The recent Erdogan-Putin talks, which were the first ever since the downing of a Russian jet by Turkey, mark a restart period in the two countries’ relations, says an Armenian expert in Turkish studies, Tert reports.

At a news conference on August 10, Gevorg Petrosyan, the president of the research center Yeprat, said he sees positive signals of resolving the crisis.

A key moment, he said, was the accentuation on re-establishing the bilateral partnership.

“No serious decisions were expected for the moment, but the side were likely to reach agreements and decisions on future cooperation,” he added.

Another accentuation was the economic component, the expert said, highlighting particularly the importance of partnership in the energy sector. “The keystone topic was the plan to continue the Turkish Stream pipeline’s construction, as well as the discussions on building the first nuclear plant in Turkey. The tourism sector too, was mutually considered to be of great importance,” he added.

As for the foreign policy issues, Petrosyan said it was also very enriched. “[The Syria conflict] is now the most problematic issue in the relation between Russia and Turkey,” he noted.

As for the topics regarding Armenia, the expert highlighted particularly the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which he said must have also been considered.

“The wordings too were general; the format required that Russia, Turkey and Azerbaijan discuss regional issues. Azerbaijan’s name already implies the Karabakh conflict, although Russia and Turkey will demonstrate a more active approach on the issue after they settle the current crisis,” Persoyan said.

Asked by Tert.am what might have caused Turkey to simultaneously start rapprochement processes with Russia and Israel, Petrosyan attributed it to the policies pursued in the “post-Davutoglu period”.

“After excluding Davutoglu from ‘big politics’, Turkey embarked on a process of re-establishing relations with Israel, Russia and why not also Egypt. By changing the foreign policy role-player, Erdogan was thus seeking for a way out of the isolation trend. He was seeking the scapegoat’s image in Davutoglu. Now that it has a new prime minister, Turkey is expected to re-establish relations with other countries too, although Erdogan is always the decision maker under all the prime ministers,” Petrosyan said.