One of the most controversial tasks of the Turkish foreign policy agenda is to promote its influence among the Turkic peoples of Central Asia. In this geopolitical confrontation, the interests of several countries collide, during which Russia, China and Iran hinder Ankara’s attempts to strengthen its positions in the Asian region.
According to Stefan Hedlund, Professor at the Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Uppsala University, Sweden, corridor. The corridor, which runs through an area in Armenia called Zangezur, is expected to connect Azerbaijan to Nakhichevan, an exclave that will also open up access to Turkey, freeing it from dependence on Iran and challenging Russia. In addition, this will put pressure on Armenia – Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, supported by Erdogan, said that if necessary he would implement the task by force.
The need for Turkey to change the vector from the Middle East to Central Asia is also dictated by the signing of the Abraham Treaty between Israel and the UAE, as a result of which Israel’s rapprochement with Saudi Arabia is possible. Erdogan, the defender of Palestinian interests, is actively opposed to this. The recent visit of Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan confirms the fact that the cooperation of these countries in the fields of the defense industry and the fight against terrorism is relevant, especially in the conditions in which Turkey is trying to remain the only strange NATO in Afghanistan that controls the security of the Kabul airport after withdrawal of US troops. Nevertheless, according to experts, such a strengthening of the Turkish position will be quickly hindered by the activities of the Taliban organization banned in Russia.
Turkey’s economic and trade partnership is also strengthening with Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. And although the trade turnover of all the aforementioned countries with Russia and China exceeds cooperation with Turkey by almost three times, military-technical partnership can still have a very tangible impact, for example, on the countries of the Collective Security Treaty Organization with Russia as its leader.
The greatest threat to Russia is that, in the event of an aggravation, it will have to act as a direct actor in the conflict. And for the countries of the Western bloc led by Great Britain and the United States, the presence of
Turkey in the Asian region, in particular, as a guarantor of security in Afghanistan, is extremely beneficial, since it provides an opportunity to realize its interests with the help of the Turkish political leadership, as well as undermine Moscow’s foreign policy strategies on stabilizing the Asian region.