Doubling down on his relationship with Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says that he has a “special” and growing relationship with the Russian President and has accused his rival of seeking to “detach” Turkey from Russia. As Western pressure grows on Ankara to help bolster Western sanctions against Moscow, Turkey has helped broker a key agreement known as the Black Sea Grain Corridor Initiative, which unlocked millions of tons of wheat caught up in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The agreement was extended for another two months on Wednesday, one day before it was set to expire. This was possible, Erdogan said, because of Turkey’s $62bn of trade with Russia annually.
Putin, who waived Turkish gas payments to Russia earlier this year, also cooperated with Erdogan to secure an exchange of prisoners of war between Ukraine and Russia while liberated Ukrainian POWS were hosted in Turkey. The Turkish president also tackled another key flashpoint in Turkish tensions with the West: Sweden’s accession to NATO. Turkey has blocked Stockholm’s membership in the alliance, accusing it of harbouring militants from the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Sweden has refused Turkey’s requests to extradite individuals Ankara describes as terrorists, and Erdogan has criticised US President Joe Biden for calling him an “autocrat” in his 2020 campaign for the White House. This foreign policy issue remains in flux amid the current Turkish elections, as Erdogan’s principal rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, holds a radically different position.
“Dear Russian friends, you are behind the montages, conspiracies, deep fake content and tapes that were exposed in this country yesterday,” Kilicdaroglu said on Twitter.
“If you want the continuation of our friendship after May 15, get your hands off the Turkish state.” Kilicdaroglu has vowed to repair years of strained diplomacy with the West if he wins on May 28th.