Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is in constant contact with the world's most powerful and may be pleased with his role and that of his country. Regional power Turkey has already established itself as an important player on the international stage.
Turkey helped intensively topple Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, and now maintains close contacts with his successor Ahmad al-Sharaa. ARD notes that this was clearly seen this week - during the meeting of the new Syrian ruler with US President Donald Trump in Saudi Arabia. Erdogan participated via video link. The meeting was a great success, US sanctions against Syria were lifted.
Continued mediation efforts
There is also something else that is among Erdogan's priority tasks: successful mediation between Russia and Ukraine. Since the beginning of the war in February 2022, he has been trying to organize a summit between the two heads of state. For this reason, his close supporters have already nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize, the German public-law media outlet points out. But the two previous rounds of talks in Istanbul did not lead to success.
Erdogan reacted to the initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin - instead of a ceasefire, negotiations should be immediately started and invited both sides in the conflict to a meeting in Turkey. Turkey is the only country that enjoys the trust of both opponents, Erdogan emphasized in this regard and announced that he is ready to organize negotiations and invite the relevant guests.
Good relations with both camps
As Sinan Ülgen, director of the Istanbul think tank EDAM, told ARD, Istanbul has always been an important place for political meetings. According to him, such peace negotiations can only be held in a country like Turkey, since both sides in the conflict consider Erdogan to be an honest mediator. He has good relations with Putin, including personal ones. In the last elections, Putin supported Erdogan by rescheduling fuel bills, and trade between the two countries continues to flourish, the German public-law media outlet recalls.
After Russia's attack on Ukraine, NATO-member Turkey did not join Western sanctions against Russia. Russian planes can still land in Turkey, and Russian credit cards can be used in the country. Erdogan has repeatedly defended Putin to the West, and last year he even said that some in the West want a new world war.
Various initiatives
Erdogan also maintains close contacts with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Ukrainian president has visited Turkey several times, most recently in March 2024. Turkey supplies weapons to Ukraine, especially drones that are important for the war. Turkey has not recognized Russia's territorial claims to Ukraine either.
Erdogan has also used Turkey's special position for other diplomatic initiatives - such as the grain agreement between Ukraine and Russia.
More than once, it has even led to spectacular prisoner exchanges, notes ARD, citing the most recent case in August 2024, when the largest exchange since the end of the Cold War was carried out.
Domestic political benefits
Political consultant Yülgen points out that these are great successes that have increased Erdogan's international prestige. "This is in any case a positive development, both for the president and for Turkey," Yulgen told ARD, adding that it also benefits the country domestically.
Erdogan has been under pressure in this regard recently - not only because of the difficult economic situation, but also after the crackdown on protesters following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. Demonstrations by students, pupils and critics of the regime led to the largest protest wave in the country in years.
Turkey's important geopolitical role in NATO, with its second-largest army in the Alliance, has largely mitigated international criticism. And Turkey's importance as a regional power is also evident in the fact that an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers is being held in Antalya at the same time as the planned talks on Ukraine.
Author: Markus Roche ARD