Istanbul Russia, Iran, Turkey: At first glance, these three countries appear to be of little geopolitical or economic relevance. In terms of gross domestic product, the three countries play in the second division worldwide. Russia is being punished for its aggressive war, Iran is isolated because of its uranium enrichment and Turkey is plagued with record inflation.
In the shadow of this perceived isolation, however, all three countries are working to expand their influence around the world, as the three-heads-of-state summit in Iran demonstrated. This applies in particular to Russia. Western sanctions are spurring the Kremlin chief to forge closer strategic ties with other countries. In Tehran, this anti-West alliance was further developed. And the West should not underestimate this.
The summit meeting on Tuesday was officially about the Syrian conflict. The three heads of state were hardly in agreement, for example with regard to a possible invasion of Turkey in the civil war country Syria. And yet an unmistakable message emanates from the meeting: The West is facing competition – and is losing influence on important geopolitical issues.
Although the interests of Moscow, Ankara and Tehran could hardly be more different in the many conflicts these days, cooperation in Tehran was surprisingly common: Russia and Iran signed a gas deal worth 40 billion US dollars. In general, Tehran demonstratively sided with Russia, for example with regard to the wars in Ukraine and Syria.
Top jobs of the day
Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.
Turkey and Iran, in turn, want to quadruple their trade – including through new oil and gas deals. And Ankara can also imagine paying its gas bills to Russia in lira and rubles instead of dollars in the future. All this while Europe’s industry trembles at the prospect of being without Russian gas this winter.
>> Read also: Biden goes, Putin comes: What the Kremlin boss wants to achieve in Iran
There was still no agreement on the Russian grain blockade in the Black Sea. But there is progress, said Putin. Erdogan stressed that Russia approached last week’s grain negotiations in Istanbul constructively. He hopes to graduate soon. The United Nations, which was also supposed to be involved in the negotiations, was not mentioned at all in Tehran.
The West’s sanctions against Iran’s nuclear ambitions primarily affect the population. Hatred of America grows there.
(Photo: dpa)
The unity displayed is more than a political PR campaign. The condemnation of Russia by the UN World Security Council in spring sounded like an impressive signal from the world against the warmonger Putin. In truth, however, half the world’s population abstained from voting or even sided with the Kremlin.
As important as it is to outlaw Moscow for its acts of war, the West must be aware of the fact that by no means all countries in the world agree on the assessment of the situation.
This does not only apply to Russia. The penalties imposed by the West as a result of Iran’s nuclear ambitions also largely fall short of their goals: the country continues to develop its own bomb. And the West makes itself hated in the country with its far-reaching sanctions that affect the entire population.
As a result of the sanctions, Iran is also expanding its network. A month ago, the Iranian foreign minister traveled to India. Subsequently, it became known that bilateral trade could do without the dollar in the future.
Erdogan at the negotiating table in all crises in the world
In Turkey, far beyond the government camp, a large part of the population believes that NATO is partly responsible for the war in Ukraine. And although Head of State Erdogan is ostracized by the West because of his autocratic policies, he surprisingly often sits at the negotiating table as a mediator or actor in the world’s major crises.
The fact that the German share index jumps for joy just because Russia is now promising further gas deliveries to Europe shows how dependent the West has made itself. He has made himself dependent on those states that he previously considered irrelevant. With Turkey, Europe experienced exactly that in the refugee crisis.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has been heavily criticized for negotiating gas supplies with the autocratic President of Azerbaijan earlier this week. There was also criticism and malice for Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck when he traveled to Qatar on a similar mission in the spring.
Western diplomacy takes too much pleasure in just maintaining contact with like-minded people and expanding these relationships. In the shadow of Western feel-good diplomacy, dissidents have long since gained influence – seemingly isolated, but all the more resolute. We have to acknowledge that and should react accordingly. Photos with democrats and despots in one picture should soon become the norm.
More: Putin threatens “reduced volumes” for Nord Stream 1.