Turkey’s Relations with Russia after the Failed Coup: A Friend in Need of a Friend Indeed?

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyse the resolution of the crisis between Turkey and Russia. The diplomatic crisis erupted when Turkey shot down a Russian warplane on its border with Syria on 24 November 2015. The diplomatic crisis went hand in hand with an extensive economic embargo. Russia suspended the reciprocal visa-free regime with Turkey, as well as banning charter flights to and from Turkey. Russian travel firms were told by Moscow to stop marketing Turkish holiday programs. Moreover, Putin signed a decree calling for a ban on imports of certain goods from Turkey. After a period of intensity, however, the leaders of the two countries (President Putin and President Erdoğan) decided to reset the relations. The failed coup attempt in Turkey in 2016 provided a window of opportunity for the resolution of the crisis. In light of this background, the article puts forward an analysis of both the system level factors (international conjecture) and domestic factors (military capabilities, economic capacity and government type). The article puts a special emphasis on how the failed military coup in Turkey constituted a decisive turning point for Turkey-Russia relations in recent years.