Relations Between Turkey and Russia: Between Strategic Partnerships and Regional Rivalries

Abstract

This chapter aims to analyze and interpret the recent development of the relations between Russia and Turkey. The principal trends that are observed show a major and unprecedented impetus in bilateral trade in recent decades. While the latter have developed since the end of the Cold War, the arrival of the AKP in Turkey in 2002 has marked a decisive turning point. As a consequence, the two countries have committed themselves to a continuous strengthening of their relations in many areas—particularly in politics and diplomacy, economy and trade, energy and security—which culminated in the period between 2007 and 2015. However, the “strategic partnership” established between the two powers is faced with the persistence of many regional rivalries, due to diverging interests, of which the Syrian crisis appears to be one of the emblematic indicators.