ABSTRACT
The track record of relations between Turkey and Russia contains many old conflicts and current zigzags, so the commitment of the two strong leaders to cultivating the strategic partnership is far from solid. Swings in this relationship are both a result of evolving domestic crises in the two states and a function of their troubled interactions with the West. Economic ties remain subject to political manipulations. Further rapprochement and new quarrels between Turkey and Russia will have heavy impacts on the security situation in the EU Southern neighbourhood, in NATO’s Southern flank, and particularly in the Iraq/Syria war zone.
