Turkey well aware of threat posed by Russian imperialism – historian
Turkish and Crimean Tatar historian, human rights activist, and Bilkent University professor Hakan Kirimli said this in an interview with Ukrinform.
"Every Turkish politician, intellectual, and any normal, rational person in Turkey who knows history well cannot possibly be neutral about Russia's war against Ukraine. All of them, remembering history, understand the threat that Russia can pose to Turkey," he said.
The historian believes that Russia, in its imperial form, is a major threat to Turkey.
"The Russian Empire under any name – the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation, the Tsarist Empire, or the Grand Duchy of Moscow – will still be the most dangerous factor for Turkey. People in Turkey know and understand this. I emphasize, this is about recognizing the threat that comes from Russia in its imperial form," Kirimli added.
In his opinion, Turkey's attempts to unite the Turkic world in the territory of the former USSR are undermined by the dependence of some former Soviet republics on Russia.
"The leaders of these [Turkic] countries are mostly former Communist Party secretaries, representatives of the nomenklatura who have turned into authoritarian dictators. They constantly rely on Russia's support to stay in power. That is why most of these states remain in Russia's orbit, effectively as its satellites," Kirimli said.
He added that without democracy in these countries, no serious unification of the Turkic world can be expected.
On August 12, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the diplomatic situation surrounding the end of the war in Ukraine, as well as the possible organization of a summit of leaders.
