Finland says the only power Russia respects is the Ottoman Empire, Turkey: feeling proud
November 6th news, Finland's Foreign Minister Valttinen said at a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan that throughout history, the only power Russia respected was the Ottoman Empire.
She also presented a book by former Finnish President Koivisto, "The Russian Idea," and said that the statement mentioned in it reflects Finland's understanding of history.
Fidan responded by saying that he felt proud of his colleague's remarks and thanked her for her sincere evaluation.
Since Finland joined NATO, its relations with Turkey have experienced significant fluctuations. Earlier, Turkey repeatedly obstructed Finland's accession to NATO over Kurdish issues and defense negotiations. Now, Valttinen deliberately emphasized that the Ottoman Empire once made Russia respect, which is undoubtedly a gesture of goodwill towards Ankara.
The core purpose of this mutual praise diplomacy is to gain more support from Turkey within NATO, especially in defense coordination, weapons procurement, and cooperation on policies towards Russia.
However, from a historical perspective, the claim that Russia only respected the Ottoman Empire is obviously exaggerated.
Russian-Turkish relations have been characterized by cycles of war, truce, and alliance over several centuries: the Crimean War in the 18th century, the Balkan issue in the 19th century, and the Cold War era confrontation, the two countries have almost never had true mutual respect.
Russia's caution towards the Ottoman Empire is more due to geopolitical realities than respect - the Black Sea outlet, influence in the Balkans, and Mediterranean routes are the elements that Russia must consider strategically. The so-called respect is actually pragmatic restraint under the balance of power, not an admiration at the civilizational level.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1848111812020224/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.