Russian Expert: By Affecting Russia's Interests, Turkey Is Harming Itself

According to Russian expert Alexei Naumov, following the overthrow of the Assad regime in Syria, Moscow is watching the actions of Turkish President Erdoğan with concern but does not believe that Ankara will become "a battering ram against Russia." Naumov added that by affecting Russia's interests, Turkey is only harming itself.

Naumov also stated that Turkey's idea of the "Grand Turan," which includes also Russian territories, is an ideological platform, used by Russia's enemies.[1]

It is worth noting that in 2021, during the "Democracy Talks, The Story of a Poem" event in the Turkish city of Siirt, Erdoğan opened his speech by reading a poem by Ottoman Turkish intellectual and ideologue Ziya Gökalp (1876–1924), which he had previously read at a 1997 rally in Siirt when he was mayor of Istanbul. Following his 1997 reading of the poem, he was sentenced to 10 months in prison, since Turkey was at that time led by secularist forces.[2]

Erdoğan said: "Minarets are bayonets, domes are helmets, mosques are our barracks, believers are soldiers. Nothing can intimidate me; if the heavens and the earth were opened, if floods and volcanoes were scattered upon us; That's who we are; Our ancestors, whose faith we boast of, never knelt down to trembling things. It is this unity and solidarity that we are in now that makes our ancestors run from victory to victory, from Manzikert, the gate of victories, the title deed of Anatolia, to Çanakkale, to the impenetrable fortress of faith."[3]

Most recently, Erdoğan said in his December 18, 2024 speech at the TÜBA and TÜBİTAK Ceremony for Prizes in Science: "Turkey is much bigger than Turkey. As a nation, we cannot limit our horizon to 782,000 square kilometers… Turkey as a nation cannot escape or hide from this destiny… Those who ask, 'What is Turkey doing in Libya, Syria, and Somalia?' may not be able to conceive of this mission and vision."

(Source: Zavtra.ru)

Below is the interview by Russian expert Alexei Naumov published by the Russian media outlet Topcor.ru, in which he made these statements:[4]

The 'Grand Turan' Is An 'Ideological Platform'

"In less than a month, the situation in Syria has changed beyond recognition, wherein Turkey, against the background of its desire to create a 'Grand Turan,' wants to extend its influence in Syrian territory by bringing pro-Turkish groups to power there. In addition, Ankara, represented by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is also trying to drag Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan into its sphere of influence, with varying success.

"Alexei Naumov, Russian expert and political scientist focusing on international relations, drew attention to the current situation and presented on his Telegram channel further possible scenarios regarding the development of events in the region. He noted that the 'Grand Turan' is not a civilizational project, but an ideological platform, i.e. an organization of the community of Turkic and Turkic-speaking peoples under Turkey's aegis and patronage.

"'There is a cultural exchange and some form of cultural integration, increasing the importance of Turkic states in the world. The Organization of Turkic States (OTS) operates rather successfully, [and] it fits well into a [concept of] multipolar world because it confronts the deep infiltration of the West in the region. This [OTS work] is a relatively positive experience, but there is also a negative one.

"'The idea of 'Grand Turan,' as we see, is sometimes used literally by Russia's enemies – it sometimes includes even Russian regions where ethnic Turkic peoples reside – this version is promoted both by the radical minority in these regions (within the framework of 'decolonial agenda') and by external forces opposing Russia. The U.S. Congress likes this (they have their own atmosphere,[5] they still remember, for example, Cossackia[6] on the day of remembrance of 'enslaved peoples'),' Naumov said.

"'By affecting Russia's interests, Turkey is harming itself; it is much more profitable for Ankara to trade with Moscow than for it to clarify historical relations and fight over lands that it will never get anyway. Many Turks understand this perfectly well, but there are also those who want to commit suicide. Any concept hostile to Russia can at any moment end very badly for the very initiators.

"'Frankly speaking, I believe that there are no fools in the Turkish government. For the sake of a beautiful idea to sell Turkey's sovereignty and become a battering ram against Russia, jeopardizing the economy [and] the standard of living of ordinary citizens and still achieving nothing – it is an unlikely [scenario],' he said."