Turkey defends its 'neutral' stance on Kyiv, says sanctioning Russia to 'harm its economy'

Turkey, on Sunday, reiterated its "staunch stance" over not joining the Western countries in penalising Russia for its "unlawful" action against Ukraine. The rhetoric was conveyed by several Turkish ministers including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on several occasions. However, this time, Ankara has clarified the reasons behind its inaction against Moscow. In an interview with the Haberturk television channel, the Turkish President's spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, said that Ankara has decided not to impose sanctions on Moscow as it has chosen a path of "neutrality" or "a policy of balance".

According to the spokesperson, the administration has preferred "neutrality" in order to protect the "interests" of Turkey. He said if Ankara had imposed sanctions on Moscow, it would be Turkey's economy that had impacted more than Russia’s. “We do not impose sanctions on Russia after the Ukraine war. Of course, we have to protect the interests of our country. Imposing sanctions on Moscow “will harm Turkey's economy more than Russia’s," RT News quoted Kalin as saying. "We took a clear stand. At present, the Westerners have also accepted it. They do not say anything about Turkey's position for geopolitical reasons," he added.

Imposing sanctions on Russia means hitting Turkey's own economy

Further, the Turkish President's spokesman maintained that Turkey depends mostly on Russia and Iran as its primary source of energy and added imposing sanctions means hitting its own economy. However, the spokesperson claimed that his country's stance has "not impacted" its relations with the United States and other Western countries. While speaking about the reasons for Ankara not following Western sanctions when it comes to personal sanctions against Russian businessmen, he said, "Those who are called billionaires in the West are called oligarchs when it comes to Russia. Are there no such leaders in the USA or Europe?"

However, in a contradictory statement, he said Turkey considers Russia's action against Ukraine a full-fledged "invasion" and added it does not support Moscow when it comes to war. Meanwhile, the President's spokesperson stressed that Turkey continues to talk to both Ukraine and Russia as it considers "the longer the war, the higher the cost." Calling Ankara- "a bridge between Russia and Ukraine", he affirmed, "there is no other country that makes an effort to bring the two sides together." "It will set an example that cooperation can be made on certain issues even in a war environment," Kalin claimed.

Turkey blocks Finland and Sweden's NATO bid

It is to mention that last month, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg accepted the membership application of both Sweden and Finland amid fears of Russia's intention to harm Nordic countries. However, Turkey, which had earlier warned of hindering the plans of Sweden and Finland, blocked the US-backed military alliance's initial process. While reacting to their action against the countries, the Turkish President urged NATO allies to respect and support Ankara's concerns about its security. "We see that there is no such attitude towards us," he said. Earlier, it was speculated that the approval of the first stage of Finland and Sweden’s application would be completed within one or two weeks, however, Turkey's move has made it nearly "impossible".

Image: AP