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How close are Turkey's Erdogan and Russia's Putin?

Here are a few of the concerns underpinning ties in between Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin, who met on Wednesday in Russia on the sidelines of the summit of the BRICS organizing which NATOmember Turkey has voiced interest in joining:

WARY REGARD

Relations between the long-serving Turkish and Russian presidents are in some cases tense, however they have both rebuffed U.S. impact and in varying methods have actually formed military disputes from the South Caucasus to Syria and North Africa. Erdogan has stated his relationship with Putin is based on a. joint understanding, mutual trust and regard. Putin has. called Erdogan a strong leader and dependable partner while. likewise stating he has not constantly discovered him simple to handle. Their two nations, both with Black Sea coasts, have broadened. cooperation on trade, tourist and energy given that Russia's. full-scale invasion of Ukraine, although Turkey has opposed. Moscow's intervention and provided Kyiv with attack drones.

Military powerhouse Russia and local power Turkey. supported opposing sides in wars in Syria and Libya, and were. not constantly on the same page in conflicts between Armenia and. Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh area.

In Syria, Putin backed President Bashar al-Assad while. Erdogan backed rebel fighters. To head off the hazard of direct. confrontation in early 2020, they struck one of a series of. ceasefire deals after 34 Turkish soldiers were eliminated in an air. strike in Idlib, where Russian jets were patrolling.

In 2019, Turkey outraged its NATO allies by buying Russian. S-400 missiles, air defences that the Western defence alliance. had actually alerted were incompatible with its systems and a security. risk.

In reaction, Washington imposed sanctions on Turkey's. defence markets and ousted it from an F-35 fighter jet. program where it was a manufacturer and buyer.

Ankara has not used the S-400 batteries since then, however says. they are at the prepared.

ENERGY, ELECTIONS AND FOREX RESERVES

When energy rates soared with Russia's invasion of Ukraine. in early 2022, Turkey was vulnerable as an importer of nearly. all its energy needs with an economy struck by a currency crash. that sustained inflation and diminished its forex. reserves. Russia, Turkey's biggest gas supplier, threw Ankara a lifeline. by permitting it to postpone payment of gas imports till 2024, a. move that sources said concealed to $4 billion in payments.

The offer assisted Turkish authorities preserve enough reserves. to stabilise the lira till a May 2023 election that Erdogan. directly won. Afterwards, the currency hit brand-new lows. Right before the vote, Erdogan's opposition accused Russia of. interfering in Turkey's internal affairs and stated his party had. evidence - without exposing any - that it was behind the. release of deep-fake online content. Both the Kremlin and Erdogan dismissed the allegation and. continued broadening energy cooperation, including at Turkey's. Akkuyu nuclear reactor. Russia's nuclear energy company. Rosatom built the plant, the opening of which has been postponed. after Germany kept key parts.

In 2022, Putin proposed producing a Russian gas center in. Turkey that would help it reroute exports, after European. nations curbed imports over the Ukraine war. Turkey is working out the proposition and might take advantage of its. comprehensive gas infrastructure to end up being an alternative supplier. to countries such as Bulgaria, Hungary and Moldova, with which. it signed separate deals in 2023.

SANCTIONS, TRADE AND OLIGARCHS

Turkey has opposed sanctions on Russia and opened its doors. to Russian travelers and migrants, including oligarchs seeking. safe houses for their luxury yachts and investments. Russians are now. the leading foreign purchasers of Turkish homes.

Bilateral trade has actually reached record levels, with Turkish. exports to Russia up 17% to $11 billion in 2023, according to. the Turkish Stats Institute data. Ankara has actually faced Western allegations that Russia is getting. war-related items such as chips and semiconductors by means of Turkey. and the United States; European nations have actually imposed sanctions. on numerous Turkish entities - and threatened more.

Ankara has said nothing that transits its area is used. in Russia's war in Ukraine. Earlier this year, Turkish exporters to Russia faced more. payments issues. The Kremlin stated it understood Turkish. banks tightening rules on Russian clients, and has been working. with Turkey to find equally appropriate services.

DIPLOMACY

Turkey has actually kept close ties with both Kyiv and Moscow, hosted. talks between them in 2022 and placed itself as a natural. facilitator of future peace talks.

Putin and Erdogan have actually held a number of calls and a handful of. conferences given that the war started, contacts that supplied the Russian. president a platform together with a NATO leader and NATO with a. trusted line to Moscow. Highlighting his balancing act with Russia and NATO, Erdogan has. declared support for Ukraine signing up with the military alliance but. postponed Sweden's subscription bid.

Turkey's diplomacy and control of the straits linking the. Black Sea to world markets put it at the centre of an agreement. in between Russia, Ukraine and the United Nations on safe passage. of Ukrainian agriculture exports and enhanced Russian exports.

The U.N. declared Erdogan's function in co-brokering the 2022. Black Sea Grain Initiative, which it stated assisted relieve world. hunger by freeing up exports of 2 top international producers. Putin quit the deal in July 2023, in spite of pleas by Turkey to. both sides, mentioning obstacles to Russian food and fertiliser. exports and questions about the locations of Ukrainian. grain.

In recent months, Turkey has actually also voiced a desire to join. the BRICS group, which initially included Brazil, Russia,. India, China and South Africa, and has actually expanded to include. Ethiopia, Iran, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. Ankara sees BRICS as a chance for more financial. cooperation with member states, instead of an option to. its Western ties and NATO subscription. Then U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Jeff Flake informed Reuters in June. that while he hoped Turkey would not sign up with BRICS, such a relocation. would not alter its alignment with the West.

(source: Reuters)