The success of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the first round of the presidential election has diminished Western states’ belief in his possible departure from power, writer financial times. According to observers of the broadcast, on the eve of the runoff, the West began to prepare for a five-year rule of a politician who has recently been developing rather strained relations.
Officials in the US and Europe are preparing for the upcoming ‘hard journey’ with a president they see as an uneasy and unpredictable but also important partner as the head of a homeland NATO member state bordering the Middle East and the Black Sea. 4 million refugees,” the article notes.
According to the FT, Erdogan, who is known for his harsh rhetoric against his partners and positions himself as a strong leader “freed from the shackles of the hypocritical West”, can be described as an “unreliable ally” for Western states. He also maintained close ties with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, despite the conflict in Ukraine, according to the newspaper’s observers.
Erdogan’s previous declared immutability Turkey’s political route towards Russia.