It is known that Russia
follows a policy to keep its ties with warm-water since the 18th
century. Apparently, Russia does not seek to get their naval crew warm up at
the warm harbors but to control the trade routes since then.
Putin and Erdoğan worked
on a project that allows Russia to transfer its natural gas to the Europa
through Turkey and reaches the Europe. Putin invited Erdoğan and Mahmoud Abbas to Moscow at a opening
ceremony of a mosque in September 23 Thus, Putin gave two messages to its
domestic Muslim communities and international community that he is friendly to
moderate Islamic world. However Russia
send war planes to Syria in order to fight against ISIS upon Syrian leader
Basher Asad’s request one week after opening the mosque in Moscow with Erdoğan.
While Turkey insists on stepping out of Syrian leader Bashar Asad, Russia was
agree on a transition with Asad during the G20 summit in Antalya in Turkey in
November 15-16. Escalation between Turkey and Russia climaxed after Turkey had
drowned a Russian warplane over in Turkey’s air space in November,24.
Importance of Aleppo:
Russia seeks solidify its regional presence and control the
energy traffics in the Middle East. According to Turkish and NATO sources Russia
violated the air space at least five more times before November 24. Turkey shut
down Russian war plane after opposite rebel groups which was formed by ultra
nationalist Turkmans had gotten close to the city, Aleppo, where is a strategic
point to transfer oil and gas to either the harbor city Latakia where is north
of Russian’s a naval facility in Tartus or the harbor city İskenderun in
Turkey.
Potential Oil and Gas
Fields in the Eastern Mediterranean:
Russia wants to be an actor drilling gas and oil in the Eastern
Mediterranean and of course, controlling energy market. So far, an American
based oil company, Noble Energy, has been operating in the Leviathan field in
the offshore of Israel since 2010. Actually that field has been in the offshore
of Lebanon and Gaza strip, too but they are not part of drilling though Lebanon
seeks its own discoveries. Erdoğan also wants to be a actor on the potential
oil and gas discoveries the eastern Mediterranean as well as wants to make
Turkey a hub of energy transfer. Erdoğan supported a Turkish businessman to
form an oil company named Genel Energy in 2011. He also appointed his son in
law as Energy minister in the 63th
government formed by Davutoğlu after controversial elections in November 1,
2015. Russia met with Netanyahu and ,possibly,
got reach an agreement on the oil and gas discoveries in the Eastern
Mediterranean one week before Erdoğan
and Abbas arrived in Moscow, in September 21.
Canal Istanbul
Russia is not favoring Erdoğan’s Canal İstanbul project which is an alternate
waterway from the Black Sea to Sea of Marmara. Russia depends upon Montreux Convention,
which was signed in 1936 and regulates the transit of naval warships. That
treaty gives Russia to control over the Black Sea since it does not allow any
kind of vessels belonging non Black Sea countries to pass trough the straits
even during the peacetime. However, Erdoğan’s new Canal Istanbul project gives
Turkey full control over the Black Sea.
Putin has various of
short and long term goals by being in the Middle East in terms of keeping its
territorial control and control of energy market. Turkey is the only country
could stop Russia to reach its ambitious goals. The US should support Turkey
and Turkish back groups to have control over Aleppo and do not allow especially
Marxist/pro-Kurdish groups to have armed preeminence, which have been having
support from Russia since 1980’s. Asad
should remain south of Aleppo. Asad, Russia, the USA and Turkey should fight
against ISIS together and have them stop their propagation and reach and
agreement with them.
Thomas Piketty in his blog
argues that unfair partition of sources in the Middle East generates radicalism
and terror[1].
Any agreement with ISIS that stops them will save innocent civilians that must
be the new mission of developed countries.
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