The DW analyst Konstantin Eggert calls the meeting of the presidents of Russia and Turkey “Erdogan’s humiliation.” “It has been a long time since a foreign leader who paid a visit to Putin has fawned on him so openly. Recep Tayyip Erdogan had to swallow completely unambiguous official insults. The Kremlin did not organized the meeting of the presidents at someplace, but in Greek Dining Room of Konstantinovskiy Palace in Strelna. Putin's restrained behavior in response to Erdogan’s flattery pinpoints that Moscow is not inclined to trust its colleague.
What has been agreed upon?
The presidents of Turkey and Russia agreed to resume the Turkish stream, revitalize the project of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant’s construction, and return the Russian tourists to the Turkish resorts. Moscow also did not rule out a gradual removal of embargo from Turkey. "We see a lot of symbolism , a lot of dances and gestures , but there will be a few certain achievements. Most of them will be made in regard to Syria, " said Vladimir Frolov, a foreign policy analyst at Slon.ru.
Syrian issue
Nevertheless, there is no information about to what agreement have Putin and Erdogan reached having fundamentally opposite positions on Syria. The issue was discussed after the meeting with the participation of foreign ministers and special services . However, before that, Putin said: " Our views on the settlement of the Syrian issue did not always have common features. Democratic reforms can only be achieved through democratic means - that is our position . However, we have a common goal with Turkey, and we will seek common solutions based on that."
" A pact between two autocrats can change the world, " reports the Interpress referring to the German publication Focus. " If in the future Turkey will take an unequivocal position on the side of Russia , that will mean dramatic changes from the point of view of the West. The United States will not simply swallow that" , said the political analyst Abdel el - Husseini , pointing to the decisive geopolitical role of Turkey as a member of NATO .
As the Wall Street Journal writes Putin always seeks for possibilities to enlarge the Russian influence, especially at the cost of the United States. Restoring relations with Turkey after the coup attempt on July 15 gives Russia a possibility to cause a split in NATO, play on Erdogan’s suspicions towards Washington DC, and build a network of allies that will oppose the United States. Turkey is a tidbit: the eighth largest economy in Europe having a population that equals to Germany’s. The position and influence of Turkey make it indispensable in Syria, and that is a critical problem for Russia.
According to the DW the Turkish leader has a powerful argument in negotiations with the Kremlin - its position on Syria. Putin hopes that in current difficult circumstances Erdogan will be ready to revise his views on the civil war in the neighboring country . The Kremlin hopes that he will keep the promise he had given last month to restore relations with Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
" Alliance " of Russia -Azerbaijan - Turkey
Russia, Turkey, and Azerbaijan have launched a trilateral format of cooperation. That happened after the talks with Putin, said Erdogan. That sentence is enough to make the official Yerevan give it a thought. In particular, in the light of Baku summit. The revitalization of contacts at a high-level between the leaders of Russia , Azerbaijan, and Turkey will be a prelude to the planned landmark meeting in Moscow on August 10 - the summit of President Putin and Serzh Sargsyan , writes the Kommersant .
The scheduled meetings that take place one after another between the regional leaders with Putin may become links of the same chain - the result of the diplomatic marathon at that should become creation of preconditions for normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey , notes the newspaper. The armed conflict in Yerevan that lasted throughout the second half of July showed the growth of radical sentiments and weakening of Serj Sargsyan’s
Positions.
In this situation, Serzh Sargsyan needs to have a support of key external players who can be the guarantors of preserving his regime. The authors of the publication believe that apart from Russia, Turkey, Armenia’s implacable opponent, may suddenly become such player for Armenia. Taking into consideration the recent developments, the official Yerevan is suggested to hurry up to avoid to become a pawn beaten in that complex and intricate geopolitical chess game.
