I was surprised how reliant Turkey is on Putin's Russia... no wonder he is balancing between Russia and Ukraine ....
RUSSIA
Ankara has obvious economic, security, and geopolitical stakes in the current conflict, but it is careful not to burn bridges with Russia and end up entangled in economic conundrums.
To start with, Russia is a vital trading partner,
providing 45 percent of its natural gas, 17 percent of its oil demand,
A colossal 70 percent of its wheat, a high-priority import at a time of escalating bread prices.
Russia is also Turkey’s biggest source of tourists—and thereby hard currency—with
its 4.7million visitors accounting for 19 percent of all travelers to the country in 2021.
Russia’s energy giant ROSATOM is also building Turkey’s first nuclear power plant, meant to start operating in 2023.
Turkey cannot afford to lose such a vital partner at a time when the Turkish lira lost
47 percent of its value in less than a year, and
inflation increased to a 20-year high.
UKRAINE
Of no less importance is Ukraine for Turkey. Turkey’s Erdogan denounced Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and is a firm supporter of Crimean Tatars who have suffered immensely under Russian rule. Trade between the two, as well as investments, has been on the rise.
As of 2021, Turkey was the largest foreign investor in Ukraine,
totaling nearly $4.5 billion, with more than 700 Turkish companies operating in Ukraine.
Though Turkish officials have refused to disclose details of drone sales to Ukraine, independent estimates believe Ukraine has
purchased between twenty and fifty Turkish-made
Bayraktar TB2 armed drones as well as MILGEM Ada-class corvettes.
For Turkey, Ukraine represents a venue where military products can be tested in real combat situations, which significantly raises their pricing and reputation on world markets.
Because of strained relations with its NATO partners, Turkey is hedging its bets on increased military-technical cooperation with Ukraine.
Last year, for example, Motor Sich agreed to provide Turkish defense company Baykar with
thirty turboprop engines to use in its Akinci high-altitude strike drones.
Such cooperation, using reliable Ukrainian engines and advanced Turkish technology, catapulted Turkey into the stratosphere of the global defense market.
Turkey will most likely continue to pursue a pragmatic foreign policy that is neither pro-Ukraine, nor pro-Russia, but entirely pro-Turkey.
nationalinterest.org
