Russia and Turkey in the early 21st century: transformation of bilateral interaction models

In the article, the author undertakes an examination of three distinct periods in the history of Russian-Turkish relations. From a chronological perspective, these periods encompass the 2000s, the 2010s, and the first half of the 2020s. By the end of the first quarter of the 21st century, Russia and Turkey had begun to accord a higher level of priority to their relations with each other in a number of areas, including diplomatic interaction at the global and regional levels, trade and economic relations, energy and military-technical cooperation. This situation starkly contrasts with the late 1990s, when Turkey demonstrated a tendency to align with the “collective West” in a manner driven by both inertia and ideology. The author posits that Russian-Turkish relations have undergone a dynamic transformation over the past quarter of a century, while each of the periods under consideration exhibiting a unique constellation of complementarity and competition. These two aspects defined the respective models of bilateral relations in each period. Existing research focuses mainly on various discrete aspects of the relationship between the two countries – be it diplomatic interaction, energy, or issues of intertwined or competing interests in specific hotspots and regions such as Syria, Libya, the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Caucasus. At the same time, a comprehensive analysis of the driving forces behind the transformation of Russia-Turkey relations is still lacking in academic publications on Turkey. In order to present such an analysis, this article draws on a number of important primary sources, including official documents of Russian and Turkish state agencies and structures involved in the implementation of foreign policy, national statistics, publications of news agencies, and leading media.