Syrian war

Turkey and Russia: From friends to potential enemies over Syria

Russia’s intervention in Syria which began on the final days of September, may have overturned the chessboard in one of the most delicate but till now skillfully managed economic and political relationships in Europe.

Though Russia seems to have been planning its move for at least six months, the change came without warning. When President Recep Tayyip Erdogan paid a one-day visit to President Putin in Moscow on 23 September, the two countries seemed to have a good working relationship based mainly on energy cooperation and trade. Russia was Turkey’s sixth largest trading partner in 2013 and last year bilateral trade between the two countries reached $31bn. This year’s performance looked likely to be poorer, which was one of the motivations for Erdogan’s visit.