How Russian authorities assessed Erdogan’s victory

The victory of Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the presidential elections in Turkey gives reason to believe that relations between Russia and Turkey, especially in the economic sphere, will only deepen, Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs told Vedomosti Vladimir Dzhabarov.

He stressed that the victory in the elections was not easy for the current president of Turkey, but left no doubt [в легитимности результата] neither the opposition nor the international community. This victory was difficult, but he [Эрдаган] did not engage in rigging the results, went to the second round and won,” the senator said. The fact that there were no opposition rallies after the elections, in his opinion, suggests that Erdogan is perceived as a tough leader who can stand up for himself.

Turkey cannot be called a friend of Russia, but it can be confidently regarded as a “positive partner,” Dzhabarov said. The senator noted that in the future Turkey should become a powerful gas hub for Europe (this project was proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin. – Vedomosti), and a joint project with Russia to build the Akkuyu nuclear power plant is also in the process of being implemented.

In the second round of presidential elections, which took place on May 28, Erdogan, following the results of processing 99.85% of the ballots received 52.16% of the vote, his rival Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu – 47.84%. In the first round on May 14, Erdogan scored 49.5% against 44.8% from Kılıçdaroğlu.

After the votes were counted, the newly elected head of Turkey announcedthat the people have handed over responsibility for running the country for the next five years to him and his administration. According to Erdogan, the results of the presidential elections have become a “holiday of democracy.” “Only Türkiye is the winner today,” he said in a statement. Also, speaking to supporters, Erdogan promised to implement the gas hub project.

“Erdogan, without a doubt, won the competition – fair, democratic, competitive. This is the case when they say that not even every percentage, but every fraction of a percent has its own meaning. The gap is almost five percent, it is quite solid. The turnout was phenomenally high – 80%. She says that the majority of voters really voted for Erdogan,” the Vice Speaker of the Federation Council told Vedomosti. Konstantin Kosachev.

Voters made a choice not so much between personalities, charisma, track record, age, but between Turkey’s development program – economy, social sphere and international positioning, he noted. And this choice turned out to be in favor of continuity, and not experiments on the country, which the opposition promised, the senator believes.

In his opinion, the majority of voters felt that Turkey’s positioning, including in the international arena, meets their wishes.

“We know, [что эта страна] positioned itself very, very brightly. It is no coincidence that the Turkish elections attracted the attention of the whole world. A lot depends on Turkey, at least in the region where it exists, and at the most in the global context. <…> Türkiye for the most part took a balanced position. It is rather for a multipolar world. In this sense, its positioning is in many respects consonant with the positioning that distinguishes the foreign policy of our country,” says Kosachev.

According to him, the result of the presidential elections means the preservation of continuity in Russian-Turkish relations. These relationships are “not without difficulties”, but in general are developing progressively. “We perceive each other as partners in solving many global problems of our time. And this is a very powerful contribution to how our country and the world around us feel,” the interlocutor emphasized.

“The main news for Russia is that no fundamental changes [в отношениях с Турцией] will not, Erdogan will continue to pursue a multidirectional policy, ”the first deputy head of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs told Vedomosti Dmitry Novikov.

Turkey’s policy is an example of a multi-vector approach, which, in turn, leads to the formation of a multipolar world, he believes. According to the deputy, Russia is counting on the continuation of joint economic projects, on maintaining a “stable line” [двусторонних отношений] from Turkey.

At the same time, he stressed that no country will be engaged in the implementation of foreign interests. Ankara will continue cooperation only on those issues on which it will be beneficial for it, Novikov is sure.

Erdogan’s victory is a demonstration that “the fashion for strong men in politics has not gone anywhere,” the deputy speaker of the State Duma told Vedomosti Boris Chernyshov. “Still, countries with a sovereign approach in politics, in internal affairs, choose strong personalities. Turkey is a strong actor, a country with its own independent position in the NATO bloc,” he said. Chernyshov also believes that Erdogan will not change his positions on international issues. He called energy issues and a grain deal the most important topics of bilateral relations.

Vedomosti also sent a request to the Russian Foreign Ministry with a request to comment on the results of the presidential elections in Turkey.

Erdogan’s victory means maintaining the vector of Ankara’s foreign policy, subordinated to the country’s own interests, and not to the “interests of external forces” that seek to determine Turkish policy “up to the system of values,” the senator believes Alexey Pushkov. In his opinion, both the desire of Turkish society for national independence and irritation due to constant pressure from the West are noticeable.

“Erdogan’s course does not meet our interests in everything. But his support from much of Turkish society signifies an unwillingness to return to US dominance. It would be a return to the 20th century. Turkey sees itself in the new, 21st century – the century of multipolarity and shifts in established force fields. She looks to the future, wrote Pushkov in his Telegram channel.

With the victory in the presidential elections on May 28 Erdogan congratulated Former President of Russia Vladimir Putin. He noted that the result of the vote was “a natural result of the selfless work” of the politician as head of Turkey and evidence of the people’s support for his efforts to strengthen state sovereignty.

Moscow highly appreciates Erdogan’s personal contribution to strengthening friendly relations between the two countries and mutually beneficial cooperation in various areas, the Russian leader stressed. Also, according to Putin, the Kremlin attaches great importance to the consistent implementation of the planned joint projects – and above all the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant and the creation of a gas hub in Turkey.