He delayed his trip to Ankara for almost two years because of his unusual demands.
Officials cited a number of reasons. Some have said that since the war in Ukraine, Putin has avoided any countries that were not part of the Soviet Union. Others attributed it to the elections held in Russia this year.
However, sources familiar with Russian thinking told Middle East Eye that the main reason for the continued delay is the conditions for Putin’s visit to Ankara.
According to the sources, Mr. Putin would like to fly to Turkey with an escort of Russian fighter jets, possibly because he is concerned about Ukraine’s ability to shoot down the plane in flight.
Moscow’s insistence on flying Russian fighter jets, as well as possibly landing them on Turkish territory, is a complicated matter, as NATO air defense systems in that country may perceive such aircraft as enemy targets.
One person familiar with the talks said Turkey was unlikely to disconnect NATO systems to meet Russia’s request.
In the latest discussions about the visit, Russian and Turkish officials discussed that Putin would arrive in the first week of October. But the specific need for fighter jets makes planning and organizing a visit highly unlikely, the sources said. The last time V. Putin visited Ankara was in 2014.
An unusual request
Two former Turkish ambassadors, previously closely involved in the diplomatic protocol surrounding visits by foreign heads of state, said Russia’s request was highly unusual.
“The Turkish government may send fighter jets to escort foreign heads of state as a gesture,” said one of the former ambassadors. “However, I don’t remember a single visit during which foreign heads of state would like to bring their country’s fighter jets.”
A third former Turkish ambassador said there was no specific protocol governing such a demand and left it up for debate.
However, Russia’s demands are not limited to fighter jets. Russian officials also complain that Ankara’s three largest hotels, the Hilton, the Sheraton and the JW Marriott, are owned by the United States.
According to people familiar with the matter, Moscow considers US hotel chains unsafe for the Russian head of state.
This raises the question of whether Ankara could provide a government guesthouse to host Putin, a highly unusual protocol that has no analogues in recent times.
Because Turkey is a member of NATO, Russian officials are particularly worried about possible attempts on its life or those close to it, the sources said. At first glance, Russia’s fears about hotel chains may seem reasonable, but Putin does not need to stay in a hotel if he is only visiting Turkey for one day.
For example, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi made an official visit to Ankara last week, arriving around noon and leaving the same evening after attending several meetings.
Although Turkey and Russia share a strategic relationship based on energy, trade and tourism, they experience periodic ups and downs.
Earlier this year, Putin criticized Ankara for supplying arms to Ukraine.
Moscow is also worried about Turkey’s banking system, which has largely suspended transactions with Russia after the December secondary US sanctions were introduced, threatening financial institutions trading with Russian banks. As a result of this move, bilateral trade has partially ceased.
Parengta pagal „Middle East Eye“ inf.
2024-09-11 19:34:11