Western nations wary of 'reset' between Russia, Turkey

There are plenty of people who welcome the rapprochement between Russia and Turkey: Russian tourists looking for an affordable vacation along Turkey's Mediterranean coast, executives with big Turkish energy companies, and Russian farmers who want a slice of Turkey's fruit and vegetable market.

Then there are those in Washington, Ottawa and European capitals who warily watched the handshakes yesterday between Russia's Vladimir Putin and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The "reset" of relations between the two countries is a cause for concern forWestern nations, as Turkey, a member of NATO, moves toward a closer alignment with Moscow.

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"The axis of friendship between Moscow and Ankara will be restored," said President Erdogan on Tuesday at a joint news conference with his counterpart from Russia.

Relations hit rock bottom last November when Turkey's air force shot down a Russian warplanethat strayed briefly into Turkish air space while on a mission over Syria.

Russia imposed economic sanctions that hurt Turkey's tourism and agricultural sectors. Russians normally fill the resorts on Turkey's Mediterranean coast, but Moscow grounded charter flights last fall, leading to a 90 per centdecline in Russian visits.

Under economic pressure, the normally stubborn Erdogan issued a surprise apology to Moscow in June, about two weeks before a faction of Turkey's military tried to overthrow Erdogan's government.

Erdogan thanks Putin

Erdogan's trip to St. Petersburg marks the first time the president has left Turkey since the July 15 failed coup attempt.

The Turkish president thanked his "dear friend" Putin. "Your call straight after the coup was very pleasing for me and our leadership and our people," Erdogan said.

Turkish leaders have felt stung by the harsh response by Western nations in the aftermath of the botched putsch. Tens of thousands of soldiers, police officers, civil servants and academics have been arrested or suspended from their jobs, accused of links to the coup plot.

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"We are troubled by reports of tens of thousands of dismissals and detentions, including of members of the judiciary, public servants, teachers, academics, members of civil society and the media," said Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Stphane Dion in a statement last month.

Russia is not feeling much love from the West these days either. Sanctions have been imposed after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, and for Moscow's continued involvement in the ongoing conflict in Eastern Ukraine.

Putin, who has never hidden his opposition to NATO, most likely feels vindicated that his decision to intervene militarilyin Syria was a gamble that paid off. U.S. President Barack Obama warned last fall that the Russian leader faced a "quagmire" in Syria. Instead, Moscow helped reverse the course of the Syrian war in thefavour of its ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

'Pragmatic business'

Foreign affairs analysts say Western hostility to both countries helped drive Putin and Erdogan to patch up their relationship.

"Foreign affairs is a pretty pragmatic business,and so in a sense we in the West should not be surprised by this," Tony Brenton, a former British ambassador to Moscow, told the BBC.

"It does raise questions about if we are tough with these countries, tough with China, and we do therefore push them into the same corner, is that actually advantageous for us in security terms?"

While international relations experts say the West is nervously watching the warming of relations between Turkey and Russia, there has been little public criticism in Washington, Brussels or Ottawa.

"It's not a zero sum gain. You know these are sovereign nations," said State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Kennedy Trudeau. "They have relationships around the world. Turkey and Russia have common goals."

Turkey is an important American ally in the Middle East. But its relationship with Ankara has taken a beating recently, with many Turks on the streets and in the seat of power blaming the United States for last month's failed coup.

Behind closed doors, unease is likely on the rise among American officials watching the handshakes between Putin and Erdogan, as the two presidents grow closeras relations with the West have soured.

"The fact that they can get together is a demonstration, both to each otherbut also deliberately to the West, that both of them have alternative sources of support," said Brenton.

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