Top Erdoğan aide reflects on Türkiye's position on Russia-West confrontation

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Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın gave a lengthy interview to 24TV on October 11, touching on various issues from the Russia-Ukraine war to recent tensions between Greece and Türkiye.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President Vladimir Putin of Russia will explore a proposal from Türkiye to host peace talks at their meeting scheduled for today (October 13) in Astana, Kazakhstan, said Kalın.

"Those who think that there are no grounds for diplomacy anymore are mistaken. In fact, on the contrary, diplomacy can become more important at this point of time," he said.

He noted that during previous periods when the violence of the war escalated, Türkiye was able to bring the parties together, citing the diplomatic contact between the two countries at the Antalya Forum and the İstanbul Forum, and the grain corridor deal broker by Türkiye and the United Nations.

Furthermore, there was a recent prisoner exchange, and they ensured security around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power. Despite the increasing violence and annexation, Kalın said, "We still think that the door of diplomacy should be kept open. We are making suggestions to both sides in this direction."

Two dimensions of the war

Türkiye positioned itself since the start of the war as a mediator between Ukraine and Russia. Although Türkiye voted for the UN General Assembly resolution condemning Russia in March this year, and the country's permanent representative to the UN stated on October 10 that it will also condemn the illegal referendum and annexation by Russia in eastern Ukraine, the government tries to remain on good terms with Russia.

Kalın affirmed in the interview that Turkey will not give up on both sides. "From the very beginning, our President revealed our position when he said, 'We will not give up on Ukraine or Russia.' This foresight was actually correct for both the direction and frame of this war.

"The issue is not only about Ukraine. Currently, the conflict is not between Russia and Ukraine. At the moment, there is also a confrontation between the West and Russia. When you consider the bigger picture, from a more strategic and geopolitical point of view, there is not just what happened in Ukraine in this picture.''

Continuing on the Ukrainian conflict Kalın said, "I say this to my western counterparts as well. There are two dimensions to this war. The first dimension is the occupation and annexation of Ukrainian territory. This must end, and the conflicts must stop. The way to do this is not more war but diplomacy. More war means more destruction."

The second dimension was, according to Kalın, a broader confrontation between Moscow and the West.

"The Bucharest Agreement that was signed in 1997 no longer corresponds to today's realities ... Today, there is a new Russia and a new world. 'Let's make a new deal to establish the global balance,' that's what Russia says. Regardless of finding this right or not, a new world order has not been established since the end of the Cold War," he said.

Greece-Türkiye relations

During the interview, the recent tensions between Greece and Türkiye was also brought up.

"Our President worded it very well, Greece is not a country to compete with Türkiye. Greece should see the limits of its own power in order to be in the right relations with Türkiye on a reasonable and legitimate basis," he remarked.

"When this is provided, we can turn the islands of the Aegean into a region of peace, tranquility, mutual economic relations, visits, tourism, not conflict," he explained. "In the short term, the conflict may provide some advantages to the politicians of Greece, but when you look at the debates within Greece itself, big debates are going on. The Greek opposition also has serious criticisms of the current government, as if Greece turned into a vassal state of the USA."

In recent months, Türkiye accused Greece of deploying US-made vehicles on demilitarized islands in the Aegean Sea. Greece's Prime Minister Mistotakis stated that Greece-US relations are extremely good at the moment.

CLICK - Türkiye–Greece tensions: A quick overview

Rapprochement with Syria

The interview also moved into the possibility of a meeting between Erdoğan and the President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad.

Recently, there were indicators of reconciliation between Türkiye and Syria. The countries have been adversaries for over a decade after Türkiye decided to back Syrian rebel forces.

Pro-government daily Hürriyet had reported that Erdoğan was willing to meet Assad during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Uzbekistan, held on September 15 and 16. Assad was not present at the meeting.

When Kalın was asked if Erdogan will meet with his Syrian counterpart, Kalın responded that is not the case, but, citing Erdoğan, he said, "There is no such thing as a closed door in diplomacy." (WM/VK)