Wednesday, January 24 2024 14:35

ArmInfo. If NATO does not collapse in the foreseeable future (as many domestic commentators predict), then the chroniclers of the Alliance (and simply propagandists of the North Atlantic brotherhood) will call this January day historic, Russian political scientist Sergei Markedonov said as he commented on the ratification by the Grand National Assembly (Parliament) of Turkey at the General Assembly of the protocol on the admission of Sweden to NATO.

The expert noted that 346 deputies participated in the work of the  assembly - and although there was no complete unanimity among them,  287 people spoke in support of the Swedish application, 55 voted  "against". Now the word belongs to the President of Turkey. Recep  Tayyip Erdogan is expected to sign the ratification document soon.

At the same time, the political scientist believes that there are  many reasons to call this event historical.

"Sweden, which for many years did not join military blocs (even  during the Cold War), radically changed its foreign policy course in  2022. However, within NATO, not everyone was ready to share the Euro-  Atlantic enthusiasm of Stockholm. Turkey was among the skeptic  countries regarding Swedish Atlanticism.  Ankara accused the Swedes  of supporting the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), harboring members  of this organization, as well as supporters of the ideas of the  preacher Fethullah Glen. They accused Sweden of both Islamophobia  and Turkophobia. There were also Turkish initiatives to synchronize  the Swedish Euro- Atlantic integration with Ankara's European  integration," Markedonov noted.

At the same time, he stated that despite Stockholm's concessions,  Erdogan continued to persist in order to give the Swedes the "green  light" at the right moment.

The political scientist added that this is not the first time Erdogan  has acted in this manner and he followed similar recipes and  algorithms during the 2015 migration crisis in the EU.

"Raising rates, putting forward practically impossible demands,  scandals, attracting media attention: But then "constructive  behavior," he noted.

The political scientist also recalled that a year ago, on the eve of  the Turkish electoral lists, many representatives of Russian  analytical thought tried to convince themselves and others that we  were faced with a kind of Manichaean two-color scheme of candidate  struggle.

"According to these constructions, Erdogan, a supporter of Moscow,  opposed Kemal Kilicdaroglu, a hireling of world imperialism and  collective Westernism. And even cautious objections about Turkish  military supplies to Ukraine, as well as Russian-Turkish  contradictions in the Caucasus and the Middle East, were not taken  into account too much. However, practice , as the classics taught us,  is the criterion of truth.

Well, Erdogan won, and one of his first decisions was the appointment  of Hafize Gaye Erkan (a Princeton graduate who previously held senior  positions in the American banks Goldman Sachs and First Republic) to  the post of Head of the Central Bank. I foresee objections from  opponents: "In your opinion, it turns out that we should also enter  into confrontation with Ankara?" The answer is obvious: under no  circumstances, because it is dangerous and unproductive to tighten  others without untying some knots," Markedonov believes.

According to him, the fact that Turkey does not join anti-Russian  sanctions and keeps a number of important windows to the outside  world open for the Russian Federation is important and beneficial to  Moscow. "Thank you, as they say, for your kind words. But all this  does not make Erdogan and the Turkish elite any special champions of  Russian interests in comparison with their domestic political  opponents.  Ankara does not want to enter into confrontation with the  West. Almost all the grandchildren of the Turkish leader are US  citizens , and the children received an education there.And  therefore, Euro-Atlantic discipline also has a personal dimension for  Turkey and its elite.

Since Realism has become a secular religion for Russia, it is  important to adequately assess the forces, resources and interests of  others. Do not attribute any inflated expectations to either friends  or enemies, or to those who are "neither friend nor enemy, but so:";  do not measure the world with your wishes and dreams. And don't lull  yourself to sleep with sweet hypnotic sessions, it can be scary to  wake up later," concluded Markedonov.