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Rena Murshud

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It is known that Turkiye has passed an important stage under the 20-year presidency of Erdogan. In the last decade, the growth of Turkiye's global influence is related to its strong domestic and foreign policy. In this regard, after the elections, Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented his newly appointed cabinet. Although the appointment seems to be quite successful and suitable, it also raised some questions.

In order to clarify those questions, Azernews learned the opinions of local experts in Turkiye.

"There are economic problems and difficulties inside. We expect that big steps will be taken to solve these problems."

Irfan Kaya Ulger, professor of Turkiye’s Kocaeli University, political analyst, said these words in his comments on the mentioned issue. According to him, with the re-election of Recep Tayyip Erdogan as president, Turkiye is going to enter a new stage of economic development.

"The cause of the problem is the Ukrainian war and the difficulties during the pandemic. As a result, we will see a social democratic Erdogan in the new era of Turkiye. When Erdogan won the first election, he pursued a liberal policy. Later, he began to pay special attention to Islamic principles in the country. In the new era, I think that under President Erdogan’s rule more attention will be paid to the development of the economy," Ulger said.
Touching on the nature of the newly appointed cabinet, the expert said that it will serve to increase Turkiye's economic power.

"From the point of view of foreign policy, Turkiye will increase its influence in its geography, which is considered a buffer zone between the great powers. There is no doubt that soon we will witness the increase of its power in the geographical regions around Turkiye - (the Balkans, the Middle East, the South Caucasus, Central Asia, the Arab world).

I would also like to mention an important fact that Hakan Fidan was appointed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in order to regulate the economic life of the country, and Ibrahim Kalın, the ex-spokesman of the Turkish president, was appointed as the head of the National Intelligence Organization (MIT). Of course, some special reasons cannot be excluded," the expert emphasized.

It should be noted that the Turkish military expert Abdullah Agar also commented on the appointment of the former Chief of NIO Hakan Fidan as the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

"Hakan Fidan has made many important achievements in intelligence diplomacy during the time he served in the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) of Turkiye. The National Intelligence Organization and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs cooperate closely with each other. I think that both state administrations will further advance some important issues that have arisen, and will take a number of serious steps. Both the National Intelligence Organization and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are state bodies focused on information, analysis and effective action. Both are responsible for issues related to Turkiye's foreign relations as well. In this regard, I think that the new minister is appropriately chosen for his new position."

Touching on Turkiye's role in resolving Azerbaijan-Armenia relations, the military expert noted that Turkiye is always in a sensitive position in this matter and is ready for support.

"Turkiye, as always, will continue to stand by and support Azerbaijan. The victory in Karabakh war was of great importance, and had many positive results. The development of these results is mainly on the issue of diplomacy. Because after the war, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs assumed all diplomatic and political responsibility. I think that what happened in Karabakh "Works related to all issues will be continued within the framework of joint cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkiye. I can confidently say that Turkiye is ready to stand by Azerbaijan until the end with all kind of issues."

In addition, Professor Irfan Kaya Ulger expressed his opinion about the invitation of Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov to his newly appointed Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan to Azerbaijan and the meeting to be held between the parties.

"Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will make his first visit to Azerbaijan. During this visit, it is expected that regional issues will be discussed as well as issues of interest to the two countries. Currently, the most important problem in the geographical area is the signing of the peace agreement after the Second Karabakh War. We will see Turkiye's efforts and initiatives in this direction. In addition, the meeting will discuss Azerbaijan-Iran conflicts and disagreements, as well as opportunities for joint action in this direction. Another issue is Central Asia, as well as the South Caucasus region. As Russia's previous influence in the region decreases, the influence of Turkiye and other powers is increasing. During the visit I think that more regional issues will be discussed, especially the issue of Russia's future influence in the region. Because Russia currently wants to hold a tight grip in the South Caucasus. Although there is a difference of opinion between the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, and Moscow, Russia's influence in Armenia is still existential. Moreover, the Russian peacekeeping contingent continues to exist in Karabakh. In a nutshell, Russia is trying to increase its weight and maintain its presence in the South Caucasus.

Also, Zangazur and Lachin road will be touched upon at the meeting. I think that Hakan Fidan and Jeyhun Bayramov will hold a meeting on these issues," the expert concluded.

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Rena Murshud is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @RenaTagiyeva

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