Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is strengthening his country’s position between two competing camps, moving closer to Russia, China and Iran, without abandoning NATO membership or its close relations with the United States and Europe, in a policy that reflects Ankara’s quest to expand the margin of its international movement without completely aligning with any axis.
According to a report by journalist Assaf Rosenzweig on the Israeli “N12” website, Erdogan refuses to say that Turkey’s rapprochement with Russia, China, and Iran comes at the expense of its relations with the West, stressing that Ankara does not turn away from Western countries even as it works to deepen its ties with Washington’s most prominent opponents.
Erdogan’s statements came yesterday, Wednesday, during his return trip from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
During the summit, Erdogan held a personal meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and discussed with him, among other issues, deepening cooperation in the nuclear field.
He also met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
In remarks to reporters aboard the presidential plane, Erdogan reiterated Türkiye’s desire to become a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
The organization currently includes 10 countries, including Russia, China, India and Iran.
But Erdogan was keen to stress that joining it does not mean turning away from the West, and he said: “I want to stress in particular that the possibility of Turkey becoming a member of the organization does not mean withdrawing from any bloc or turning your back on the West.”
Türkiye is a member of NATO, along with the United States and most European countries, and has the largest army in the alliance after the American army.
Erdogan’s continued rapprochement with Russia, China and Iran comes at a time when Türkiye insists on obtaining US approval to purchase advanced F-35 fighters.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization was established in 2001, and includes, in addition to Russia, China and India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Iran and Belarus.
The organization continues to expand, and is presented as a counterweight to the global influence of the United States, although its goals and plans are still described as not entirely clear.
For Erdogan, expanding relations with the organization and its member states does not conflict with continuing the partnership with the West.
The Turkish President stresses that his country’s desire to fully join the organization does not mean that Ankara is turning its back on Western countries.
In recent years, Turkey’s international geopolitical position has greatly strengthened.
Ankara has become an essential mediator between Russia and Ukraine, including files related to activity in the Black Sea.
Since Donald Trump’s return to the White House, the US President has been praising Erdogan and the broad personal relationship between them, stressing that Türkiye is an important ally of the United States.
Erdogan’s status in the European arena has also risen in recent years, against the backdrop of the arms race on the continent, fears of a possible confrontation with Russia, and the need to strengthen NATO.
According to the report, these circumstances allowed Erdogan to benefit from almost complete European ignorance of what was described as serious damage to democracy in Turkey, by persecuting the opposition, with the aim of keeping him alongside the Europeans in the effort to ensure the continent’s security in the coming years.
Thus, Erdogan continues to build an equation based on keeping the doors open in both directions: a partnership with the West from within NATO, and an increasing rapprochement with the forces that seek to balance American influence, in a policy that gives Ankara a wider space to maneuver between the competing centers of power.
