TURKISH-RUSSIAN RELATIONS FROM THE COLD WAR TO 2002 AS THE BEGINNING OF CURRENT RELATIONS

Abstract

In this study, Turkish-Russian relations in the Cold War period and the Post-Cold War time till 2002 are discussed. Since 2002 is accepted as the beginning of current relations and a breakthrough year in relations, a separate analysis is required for the next period. It is seen that the relations between Türkiye and Russia were tense between the years 1945-1965, and then went through a soft period until the end of the Cold War period. It is clearly understood that Turkish-Russian relations gained a new dimension after the collapse of the USSR. Economic-commercial relations constituted the most important area of this period, in which competition also predominated. In the first part of this study, the historical development of Turkish-Soviet relations in the Cold War period is tried to be discussed. Economic and commercial relations assumed the locomotive role in the cooperation between the two countries, giving a different quality to the political, military and security issues and relations with third countries. In the second part, the new era for the affairs is analyzed and, in this regard, it should be noted that the leaders of the two countries have made great efforts since the beginning of the 1990s. In these years, many strategic projects were signed and implemented in the context of bilateral relations. It is obvious that the relations between the two countries reached a strategic dimension in areas such as economic-commercial and energy. It is also analyzed that the momentum gained in Turkish-Russian relations and the good level of relations also served regional stability and common interests. Finally, it may be assumed that the years examined by this paper is also a period that helped to create strong relations between two countries in the 21st century.