Will President Putin's visit to Türkiye determine tensions in the Black Sea?
(Baonghean.vn) - Director of the Institute for Foreign Policy Studies of the Republic of Türkiye, Mr. Hussein Bagci believes that, through Ankara, the Russian President will be able to convey to the West and Asia his stance on issues.
According to TASS news agency, on August 16, President of the Turkish Foreign Policy Research Institute Huseyin Bagci said that Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Türkiye will be important not only for the Black Sea Grain Initiative, but also for reducing tensions in this sea.
“The visit is of particular importance for both Russian leader Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan,” Turkey’s leading European security analyst said in an interview. “Through Türkiye, the Russian president will be able to first of all communicate his position on issues related to Russia to the West and Asia. On the other hand, we should not forget that the Black Sea has heated up in recent days politically and militarily, and if a ceasefire in Ukraine is not reached soon, even a small spark could trigger a serious conflict in the region.”
Mr. Bagci said that Türkiye in the current context “should not disturb the existing balances in the region and create the preconditions for a potential conflict in the Black Sea region.”
Ankara has repeatedly said it complies with the Montreux Convention, which regulates navigational rules in the Black Sea straits, and has not allowed any warships to enter the Black Sea since Russia began its special military operation in Ukraine. Türkiye believes that this compliance has prevented conflicts from spreading throughout the Black Sea region.
The Telegram Shot channel posted on August 16, citing sources, that Putin could meet Erdogan on August 31. The post did not specify the location of the meeting. The Turkish presidential press office told TASS news agency that it had no specific information about the possibility of a meeting between the two leaders.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the exact location and time of the meeting between the presidents would be agreed through diplomatic channels. “The location will be discussed, and it does not have to be in Türkiye,” Peskov said.