Ties with Turkiye basis for Russia involvement in grain deal, says researcher

Russia’s involvement in the Black Sea grain deal, which is set to expire later this month, is based on it recognising Turkiye’s importance as a partner rather than pursuing its own interests, according to a researcher, Anadolu News Agency reports.

“Russia does not really need this (grain) deal for itself. Why is Russia doing this? Because Turkiye is an important partner of Russia,” Daria Isachenko, a researcher of Turkiye-Russia relations at the Berlin-based German Institute for International and Security Affairs, told Anadolu.

So, the agreement should be seen as an issue within the relationship between Ankara and Moscow, Isachenko said, underlining that Russia understood that it was to the benefit of Turkiye, rather than Russia.

The two countries, as well as Ukraine and the UN, signed a deal in Istanbul last July to resume grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports, which were paused after the Russia-Ukraine war began in February 2022, exacerbating global food insecurity.

Isachenko emphasised that Turkiye’s geography made it a natural actor in the matter of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

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However, she said that its role was not that of balancing between Moscow and Kyiv. Rather, Ankara is balancing between “deterrence and dialogue towards Russia, because Russia is an important neighbour with a lot of land and history.”

“It’s not only concerns about Ukraine, but also you can see this in the Middle East, in the Caucasus,” said the researcher, pointing to the importance of cooperation for each side. “But, there is always this deterrence element because after all, Turkiye is a NATO member and this is also taken seriously inside Russia.”

The Turkish Foreign Ministry characterises ties with Russia with cooperation on a bilateral basis, but marked by a serious test due to military activities related to the Syrian crisis that began in 2011.

However, it says that relations underwent a normalisation process upon the mutual desire by both sides with political dialogue has been re-established since the second half of 2016.

On rebuilding of regional peace, Isachenko underlined that this could not be achieved without the involvement of all the Black Sea countries, including Turkiye.

While these nations also include those that do not have a coast on the Black Sea, but are “players” in the region, she said that riparian states could not be discounted.

“You cannot ignore the Black Sea riparian states, including Turkey and Russia, and their vision of the Black Sea.”

Turkiye, internationally praised for its unique mediator role between Ukraine and Russia, has repeatedly called on Kyiv and Moscow to end the war through negotiations.

READ: Russia demands full implementation of Black Sea grain deal