PanArmenian News
Dec 4 2004
PUTIN WILL VISIT ANKARA FROM THE SECOND ATTEMPT
This will be the first official visit of the Russian head of state to
Turkey in history
On December 5 the President of Russia Vladimir Putin will make an
official visit to Turkey. There are arranged meetings of Russian
President with the President of Turkey Ahmet Necdet Sezer, the Prime
Minister Recep Erdogan, the minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulah Gül
and Turkish businessmen. It is expected to sign four agreements. Most
of the questions which Vladimir Putin is aimed to settle during the
visit to Ankara concern the interests of Armenia.
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The visit was to take place in September but it had
been postponed because of the act of terror in Beslan. Putin has
previously been to Turkey in the beginning of the 90’s on the
holidays with his family in Antaliya. But by that time he was not a
president, but a usual KGB officer. But yet it’s the first official
visit of Russian head of state to Turkey during these 500 years of
Russian -Turkish relations. Traditionally the Russians considered
Turkey as an enemy country. Particularly the four Russian -Turkish
Wars are of evidence. The feeble attempts of the former Turkish prime
minister to get into contact with Russian leaders were not crowned
with success. Boris Yeltsin refused to receive Bulent Ejevit who
arrived in Moscow with an official meeting. On the contrary Putin
gives an unambiguous signal of the readiness to be friends.
First of all it’s a matter of economic interests. The interdependency
of the economies of two countries grows every year. The commodity
circulation is planned for 9 milliard dollars this year but according
to some information it has already exceeded that number. The experts
expect the turnover to amount to 20milliard. It should be noticed
that the matter concerns a number which by 40 times exceeds the state
budget of Armenia. Last year 1million 200thousand Russian tourists
visited Turkey. This figure during the first six months of the
current year comparing to the same period of last year increased by
50 per cents.
The cooperation of two countries has good prospects in the sphere of
energy. This cooperation may infringe upon Armenia’s interest. It is
not inconceivable that during the visit the sides may discuss the
possibility of Russia to supply to Turkey electrical energy generated
in Armenia in electric power stations belonging to RAO UES. In spite
of the statement of the Russian Premier Minister Mikhail Fradkov on
the prospects of the Russian gas supply to south en route of Armenia,
this question is hardly to be discussed seriously today. The Russians
pay more attention to the Blue Stream Pipeline by means of which in
the course of coming years 365bcm of gas will be supplied to Turkey.
During the visit Vladimir Putin will try to obtain a guarantee that
Ankara will completely fulfill its obligations within the framework
of this project. Moreover, in the days of visit may be signed an
agreement on investment in Turkish electric energy, gas-transport
infrastructure and also underground gas-holder construction in
Turkey.
The question of laying an oil pipeline from Turkish city Kyikey in
the south-west coast of Black Sea to Ibrikhaba city in Aegean Sea
will be discussed in Ankara. For the present considerable share of
Russian oil still goes to the west on tankers through Bosporus.
Turkey keeps on putting obstacles counting on political concessions
from the Moscow side. The conditions of Russian oil-tankers’ passing
through the channels will certainly be touched upon on the meeting.
Talking on communication it should be mentioned that during the
negotiations Putin and Erdogan may also touch upon a topic of
straight railway service opening between Moscow and Ankara. As
everybody knows the only trunk-railway linking Russia and Turkey lays
trough Armenia and now is blocked by the Turkish side.
The Turks count on the possibility to convince Putin to use his
ascendancy upon the European leaders to soften their position
concerning the membership of Turkey in the EU. During Putin’s visit a
special attention will be paid to military cooperation. The Minister
of Defense Sergey Ivanov is a member of the delegation headed by
Vledimir Putin. With his Turkish colleague he will discuss the
organization of Ka-50-2 helicopter production in Turkey. Besides, the
experts believe that during the visit the situation of the
2.5-3milliard dollar contract on supplies of 145 fighting machine to
Turkey will be made clear. The Americans also take part in the tender
for the execution of this order.
Putins visit is a good reason for Erdogan to strengthen personal
contacts with the Head of the Great Power.
According to some Turkish media, Recep Erdogn is even going to
suggest Putin being godfather on his daughter’s wedding. As everybody
knows in July on his elder daughter’s Esru’s wedding the godfather
was the Prime Minister of Greek Costas Karamanlis, in last August on
his son’s Bilal’s wedding this mission was entrusted to the Prime
Minister of Italy Silvio Berluskoni. The Turkish prime minister has a
chance to become related with the Head of Russia. This chance is his
youngest daughter Sumeye. The problem is that she is too young and
does not want to get married at all. But the commentators expect
Erdogan to insist on the immediate marriage with the first young man
for the sake of personal contact with Valdimir Putin. But it is still
unknown if Putin himself would like to become Erdogan’s relative.