Russia’s President Vladimir Putin will be in Turkey today in order to participate in the Russia-Turkey Senior Cooperation Council (ÜDİK). This meeting, which will be realized in the name of increasing and reinforcing the economic relations, has a separate meaning in the sense of national interests of both countries, who are following a different policy recently but especially regarding the Syria and Crimea.

If we are to take into consideration that the volume of trade between Turkey and Russia was 32.7 billion dollars in 2013 and Turkey’s second biggest trading partner is Russia, then it becomes clear that the effects of the differentiations, which are formed in global politics, on the economic relations will not be beneficial from the point of both countries.

Thus, the balanced policies in the political and commercial relations between Turkey and Russia, whom had been acting with a rational and consistent strategy in their binary relations until today, are also forming the key point of the new period’s international political and economic relations.                                                                                                       

In the sense of their possessed specialties, Turkey and Russia are not in a position to renounce each other. The most important one of these specialties is Russia possessing the energy resources, and Turkey being a country that has become an energy center.

Because of this reason, before the UDİK meeting, it is being expected that the energy, which was the objective of Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Taner Yıldız’s Russia visit, will be topping the agenda of Putin’s contacts in Turkey.

While Russia’s natural gas amount, which forms 71% of Turkey’s exportation, was 26.6 billion cubic meters in 2013, this number had decreased to 20.6 billion cubic meters between January and September 2014. In other words, Turkey is compensating more than half of its natural gas importation from Russia. Turkey’s, which, after Germany, is the country Russia exports the most natural gas to, dependency towards Russia is a striking matter.

Thus, the natural gas bought from Russia can be qualified as the immunity matter of both countries.

Russia is frequently coming face to face with USA and EU countries regarding the natural gas matter because of the sanctions imposed due to the Ukraine crisis. The country’s occasional cutbacks of natural gas given to EU countries have never included Turkey. Because Turkey had always been regarded as a strategic and important country for Russia.

Besides, the possible projects or the projects that had been started by Turkey in the direction of becoming the Southern Gas Corridor are also stating the EU countries’ and Russia’s points of view.

In spite of the fact that EU countries are dependent on Russia regarding natural gas, in the same manner, the decrease in the oil and natural gas incomes, which sustain Russia’s economy, will be putting Russia in a difficult position economically. In such a case, Turkey is rising to a strategic position as the trading partner.

On the other hand, the fact that the producer countries are not reducing their oil supply, despite the decrease in the demand, had increased the importance of natural gas within the Russian economy, whose oil income had decreased following the decrease in the oil prices.

Thus, energy based on the Turkey-Russia relation is supporting both countries’ economic dynamics. Turkey’s demand of a discount in natural gas from Russia, and Russia’s positive approach to this matter is being seen possible thanks to these dynamics.

In addition to this, Turkey had acquired an important position in a geostrategic sense, following its policies in politics and economy in the 2000s. Thanks to those policies, Turkey had transformed its disadvantaged position, which had been formed because of its dependency on natural gas and oil, into an advantaged position as an energy center county.

Right before Putin’s visit, USA Vice President Biden’s Turkey visit had once again confirmed that Turkey is one of the important playmakers in the global energy table.

The point that attracts attention is; the fact that we had transformed into a country which prioritizes its natural interests, from a country which accepted obeying the decisions given by the USA and EU countries in economic and political relations.

Following the Ukraine crisis, the EU and USA’s expectancy, of Turkey taking a stance against Russia, had not found a response. The expectations of EU countries, which had taken a position against Turkey when Turkey was in question, towards Turkey can be evaluated as the remnants of the Old Turkey’s old economy understanding.

Turkey is determining its economic and political relations with its independent will, rather than outer guidance, and national interests are in the center of the politics Turkey conducts. Despite all the attempts on the matter of giving support to sanctions against Russia, Turkey, who had created its own economic and political agenda, is increasingly placing its central country perception in the global arena with each passing day.

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