While the Ukrainian-Russian delegations are meeting for negotiations in Istanbul, Turkey, United World International expert Onur Sinan Güzaltan provided an interview to Russian news outlet Izvestia. “With Turkish mediation, Moscow and Kyiv will be able to reach an agreement,” he said.
Below we present the interview as published by Izvestia, the original can be read here.
Turkish political scientist Onur Sinan Guzaltan on Monday, March 28, told Izvestia why negotiations between Russia and Ukraine are important for Ankara.
According to the political scientist, Ankara and Moscow are connected by relations in many areas, and the deeper the conflict between the Russian Federation and Ukraine develops, the more significant the negative consequences for Turkey will occur.
“We are bound by trade agreements with Moscow. We have good relations, have developed military and political cooperation, and of course, we have ties in the tourism sector. If this conflict worsens, Ankara will experience negative consequences: in the economic, political and even military spheres,” said Onur Sinan Guzaltan.
According to him, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Turkish government took the initiative to hold talks in Istanbul to find a “regional solution to this conflict” – without Western influence.
He recalled that talks between the conflicting parties taking place in Turkey had previously yielded positive results.
Positive experiences in Astana Process and Karabakh Conflict
“We remember very well that the Russian-Turkish cooperation during the Astana process on Syria and during the Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict yielded good results. And now we know that cooperation between Russia and Turkey on Libya is also progressing very successfully. This means, we are facing the fact that when the twobig Eurasian states actively interact, this turns out to achieve significant progress,” the political scientist said.
In addition, Onur Sinan Guzaltan commented on the Turkish position regarding the special operation of the Russian Federation in the Donbass.
“I think the Turkish government understands the Russian concern about NATO expansion. Ankara understands that Western expansion is directed not only against Russia, but also against Turkey. The conflict in the Black Sea, where we are neighbors with Ukraine and Russia, has a negative impact on Turkey. This is the reason why our government has taken this step and is trying in every possible way to contribute to the negotiations between Moscow and Kiev,” he stressed.
The political scientist noted that if the Ukrainian side decides not to join NATO, it will be much easier to find a solution and reach a peace agreement in this conflict. At the same time, he added that it is unlikely that a decision will be reached in one or two meetings.
“With Turkish mediation – with the participation of Ankara, Moscow and Kyiv will be able to reach an agreement,” he concluded.