Forecast: Prospects for further involvement of "Turan" against Russia depend on geopolitics

ArmInfo.The prospects for the further involvement of the "Turan" project and the Turkic-speaking states that are part of it, and the possibility of their  implementation against Russia, among other things, depend on  geopolitics, and more precisely, on Ukraine.

Victor Nadein-Raevsky, senior researcher at IMEMO named after E.M. Primakov RAS, Director of the Institute of the Black Sea-Caspian Region named after Artsruni   told ArmInfo.

"Today, these states and Turan are already actively used by our  geopolitical competitors and opponents against Russia. And for this  reason, Ankara is actively trying to promote the implementation of  this project.  Baku, in turn, is trying to squeeze the maximum out of  the situation, since the project will be implemented in transit  including through its territory," he said.  

According to the Turkologist, in this light, Azerbaijan is trying to  position itself as a country linking Europe with Central Asia, hence  all the latest steps of Baku in the direction of Kazakhstan,  Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Thus, with the support of Ankara, Baku  is strengthening both its own positions and the foundation of the  Turan project. 

Noting that future scenarios in the Eurasian space largely depend,  among other things, on Moscow's policy, Nadein-Raevsky noted that so  far the latter is trying to counteract the observed trends by  developing rather complex relations with Ankara. Thus, the Russian  Federation is trying to restrain Turkey, which, especially recently,  has been doing it with great difficulty. 

In his opinion, a lot depends on the course and outcome of the  Ukrainian war in this matter. According to Nadein-Raevsky, it was in  parallel with this war that Ankara and Baku publicly stepped up their  long- standing projects in the Central Asian direction.  

"Another result of all this policy was the obvious changes in the  geopolitical situation in the South Caucasus. Moreover, this process  against Russia, among other things, is also sponsored by the West.  Both Turkey and Azerbaijan are also trying to use this factor in  order to strengthen the Turkic axis and their own influence in the  East," Nadein-Raevsky summed up.