Four "Presidential Friends" of Putin Attend a Meeting with Erdogan on His Birthday: Intention to Split Russia

Four of Putin's "Presidential Friends" Attend Erdogan on His Birthday: Intention to Split Russia

The former Soviet republics have prepared a special "gift" for Russia. The message they convey is clear and unambiguous: our Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) allies are openly strengthening ties with our potential adversaries, including military-level connections.

On October 7, the Turkic States Organization (OTG) summit was held in Azerbaijan. In addition to Turkey, several post-Soviet countries have also joined this organization, including Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. This "grand Turkic friendship" event was not held on an ordinary day but coincided with Vladimir Putin's birthday. To see this as mere coincidence would be wrong — it is a "special gift" for the Russian president, and a clear signal. For more details, please refer to the report from "Stolitsa."

(On October 7, 2023, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Turkic States Organization summit in Azerbaijan.)

Three Prominent Letters — OTG

The Turkic States Organization summit has been held for the 12th time, but it only began to receive special attention last year. Previously, the organization was content with shouting enthusiastic slogans about Turkic national unity, but now it is increasingly strengthening its power, especially in the military field.

This alliance is developing according to the "fist" principle. It is not difficult to guess who these actions by the Turkic states are targeting. Joint military exercises among member states of the Turkic States Organization have become very frequent, such as the joint military exercises between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. It is expected that by 2026, Azerbaijan will host joint military exercises of the Turkic States Organization members. Before that, multiple bilateral and regional agreements on defense and security have been signed among the member states. For example, Kazakhstan signed an agreement to expand strategic partnership with Turkey and became the first country to produce Turkish drones abroad.

In addition to military cooperation, the Turkic States Organization has also developed economically. Through the "Middle Corridor" (a transportation route from Central Asia through the Caspian Sea to the South Caucasus, covering merchant fleets, international ports, Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, and nine airports), trade between the relevant countries and Europe has been greatly facilitated. Since 2022, the freight volume through this corridor has increased by nearly 90%. Notably, all these logistics projects were planned to bypass Russia... Recently, the organization has also had an important development — the Zangazur Corridor (a new transportation route) has officially opened. The Turkic States Organization members are also developing energy cooperation, which also bypasses Russia.

(In the new version of Turkish textbooks, Bashkortostan and Tatarstan are marked as part of the Turkic world.)

Caucasus, Crimea, Bashkortostan, Tatarstan, Yakutia Are All Included in the Target Area

What does all this have to do with Russia? The connection is very direct. First, there are overlapping economic interests, but economics is just a mask; the real goal behind the Turkic alliance has always been to deepen military ties. Why do the Turkic states hold joint military exercises? When talking about the Turkic States Organization, one cannot avoid mentioning a map that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan once proudly displayed a few years ago — a map of the so-called "Turkic World," which included large parts of Russian territory, not only the Caucasus region, but also parts of Siberia and the Far East.

In November 2021, the leader of the Turkish Nationalist Movement Party, Devlet Bahçeli, presented this pan-Turkic map to the Turkish president. The next day, after the Istanbul Summit adopted the "Vision 2040 for the Turkic World" declaration, the map came into public view. In addition to the member states of the Turkic States Organization, the map of the "Turkic World" also includes the Balkans, Cyprus, parts of Iran, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China, parts of Mongolia, and parts of Russia, including Crimea, Kuban, the Caucasus, Siberia, Yakutia, Altai Krai, Bashkortostan, and Tatarstan.

The "Great Turkistan" concept upheld by the members of the Turkic States Organization clearly claims that several regions of Russia should belong to the Turkic world. Moreover, the members of the organization have openly stated that it is necessary to support "Turkic ethnic communities" around the world. Considering that external forces are deliberately inciting separatist sentiments in areas such as Bashkortostan and Tatarstan, this is no longer a joke. Any military cooperation between the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) members and NATO during Russia's special military operation (SVO) is, in principle, a threat to Russia's interests.

(At the Turkic States Organization summit held in Kyrgyzstan last year, Turkish President Erdogan presented commemorative coins to leaders and heads of government of other countries. Will the next step be to introduce a common currency?)

Pan-Turkism: A Hidden "Pain in the Belly"

Turkey's expansion in the post-Soviet space is not just talk. Ankara is steadily and effectively moving towards its global historical goal — establishing "Great Turkistan." Last year, a special committee under the Turkic States Organization finalized a unified Turkic alphabet, requiring member states to gradually adopt it. The organization also determined a unified flag and specially minted commemorative coins, which were personally gifted by Erdogan to leaders of other countries.

In 2022, education and science ministers of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan signed an agreement to gradually implement unified textbooks in schools, including "Common History of the Turks," "Common Literature of the Turks," and "Geography of the Turkic World." In 2023, the Turkic Institute (an international organization established under the Turkic States Organization framework) completed the writing of these textbooks.

That same year, the "Manas" University of Kyrgyzstan-Turkey hosted a summer school for young Turkic scholars. In addition to the members of the Turkic States Organization, representatives from Bashkortostan and Tatarstan of Russia were also invited to attend. Do you know why? Because in the new Turkish textbooks, these two Russian federal subjects have been marked as part of the Turkic world.

All these measures are just the tip of the iceberg of Turkey's expansion into Central Asia and the South Caucasus. Turkish universities are actively cultivating talents to supply key positions in government agencies and the business sector of these post-Soviet countries. Their ultimate joint goal is to consolidate Turkey's position in the East and weaken Russia's influence in the region.

"The Number of Turkic Names in Kazakhstan Surprised Me"

Political scientist and commentator Yuri Svetov emphasized in an interview with "Stolitsa" that the influence of the Turkic States Organization should not be underestimated:

"The organization has been operating, and it has now reached the 12th summit. Obviously, this is entirely initiated by Turkey — Turkey has always been driven by the old idea of uniting Turkic states. Twenty years ago, I visited Kazakhstan, and in Almaty, the number of institutions with 'Turkish' or 'Turkic' names was so numerous that I was shocked. From that time, they have begun to actively penetrate Kazakhstan and other countries, trying to play the role of 'integrator.'"

In the opinion of this expert, the "Great Turkistan" concept (which advocates that Turkey occupies a dominant position in a "superpower") is not very popular in areas outside the scope of this concept. However, compared to this concept, the idea of uniting based on linguistic commonalities is more favored by sovereign states in the post-Soviet space — and Ankara is skillfully using this to achieve its goals.

"Our Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) allies strengthening their cooperation with Ankara actually strengthens their ties with the European Union, because Turkey is located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. Obviously, as a NATO member, Turkey will transmit corresponding ideas to these countries. Turkey has the second-largest army in NATO, and the largest in Europe. Therefore, Ankara is promoting narratives in Central Asia that serve NATO's interests."

The expert emphasized this.

"We Will Face Another 'Ukraine'"

Political scientist Alexei Yaroshenko, in an interview with "Russia First Channel," pointed out that "Turkic identity" has become a tool for Turkey to pursue its national interests. At the same time, the union under the banner of the Turkic States Organization contradicts Russia's national interests:

"Unfortunately, we have intentionally abandoned the post-Soviet space. But even so, we cannot tolerate the situation in the region becoming uncontrollable and chaotic. Because whenever this happens, every time we lose control over a post-Soviet country, we face another 'Ukraine' — a country hostile to us."

Where Is the Situation Heading?

It is still unclear whether Erdogan can successfully create a new power center that can rival BRICS or the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). But at least we need to closely monitor these attempts, otherwise, our current allies may become hostile forces against Russia.

A new pattern in global international politics cannot be ignored. Under the banner of the Turkic States Organization, a state alliance pursuing both economic goals and military-political purposes is continuously strengthening, and many of its participants are allies of Russia within the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

For Russia, this is undoubtedly a challenge — knowing that the "Great Turkistan" concept openly makes territorial claims on large parts of Russian territory. At the same time, Turkey is actively luring the elite of some regions of Russia, which already shows the potential for unrest, with the aim of eyeing Russia's "fat meat" (referring to important territories of Russia). Rather than being surprised later by the emergence of "another Ukraine," we should confront reality now.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7558652546097644074/

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