RT: Turkey and Russia split politics from economics
Moscow and Ankara do not really see eye to eye on politics, but despite that have big economic potential, with Turkey considering itself an in-between partner who would take gas from Russia to Europe, Martin McCauley of the University of London, told RT.
RT: There are obvious political differences between Russia and Turkey but it didn’t seem to get in the way of doing some major trade deals today. Do you think it was a surprise?
Martin McCauley: No, that wasn’t a surprise because in international relations you separate politics from economics, and politics sometimes trumps economics but quite often economics carry on with political differences. Obviously in Syria the two sides see the situation quite differently because President Erdogan wants the West to take down President Assad first and then he will help America and Britain and so on to take down Islamic State. But President Putin, on the other hand … says [President Assad] should not be overthrown. So that is from the political point of view they are poles apart, but from the economic point of view this gas deal, the atomic power plant that is going to be built - that has been on the cards for quite a long time…They could have a gas pipe through Turkey, and Turkey would like the gas pipeline to go through Turkey because then it collects the rent from it. And also Turkey would like to pipe natural gas from Iran through Turkey to the West. But that of course is blocked by sanctions at present. So Turkey sees itself as the in-between partner who will take gas from Iran and Russia to Europe.