Turkey and Russia need each other, says expert

In an interview with Today's Zaman ahead of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's visit to Turkey on Aug. 6, Petrov shared his views on various issues regarding Russia's administrative structure, decision-making mechanisms, civilian-military relations, foreign policy and its relationship with Turkey.

Speaking about who ultimately decides what in Russia, Petrov said it is very difficult to say that the parliament or government really take part in the decision-making process. He emphasized that Russia's tradition of foreign policy is rooted in the Kremlin's earlier projects, making President Dmitry Medvedev's job easier. Noting that it could obviously be said that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is influential in key foreign policy decisions, Petrov said Putin is not the sole decision maker and would absolutely listen to the opinions of other actors influential in politics.

He said that although it appeared to look anti-democratic from the outside, the country has a different democratic process, which he described as “managed democracy.” Petrov said in this version of decision making, progress is controlled to avoid unexpected consequences. Petrov also noted that the current government is trying to further democratize the system.

“We can't say that all other agencies are operating perfectly in Russia,” Petrov said, recalling Russia's announcement that it will be entering the World Trade Organization (WTO) along with Kazakhstan and Belarus. “Even those ministers involved in the negotiation process were surprised to hear this decision. In such situations, fast decision-making processes cannot operate very actively,” he said.

Concerning the level of personal interest shown in the country's affairs, Petrov recalled Putin's cure for Pikalyovo, a small Leningrad town where hundreds of workers at a local cement factory were out of jobs when the factory owner wanted to shut it down because it continually registered losses. Putin threw a pen at tycoon Oleg Deripaska and ordered him to sign an agreement to buy building materials from the local cement factory. “This incident was televised around the world. This created the understanding that if we can attract the attention of the prime minister, we can solve problems. However, he can't intervene in every incident to solve problems. This has been a populist approach. Some experts believe this behavior was wrong. It sent a wrong message to foreign investors. This means that the government's attention has to be drawn to solve a problem,” he said.

Military-civilian relations

Speaking on the relationship between the military and the civilian government, Petrov said that even though the military is mainly in the background politically, the siloviki -- a term used loosely to describe members of security or military services who come into positions of power -- hold significant political power. “Here, intelligence organizations and the police force are stronger than the military. These groups are effective in decision-making processes. Putin himself came from this team. We can say that they have been successful in terms of discipline, implementing projects and overcoming certain problems in the country. However, this group could not display the same approach in the face of civilian problems,” he said.

He said that although some siloviki could be seen as state company managers, ministers or governors, this structure was now changing. “I think that Putin understands that a good general won't necessarily make a good governor. We can readily feel this now,” Petrov noted.

Russian-Turkish relations

Petrov also shared his opinion on the development of economic ties between Russia and Turkey. “We are talking after the signing of Nabucco. I think this is an important factor in Russian-Turkish relations. Turkey takes part on one side in the important natural gas projects of Russia and as a partner of the European Union on the other side. I support cooperation instead of competition in Nabucco or South Stream. As Russia could receive Ankara's Nabucco proposal warmly, Ankara might consider Russia's South Stream invitation. This is strategic, but we should also look at this in economic terms. Demand in Europe is rapidly rising. All these lines will be needed. It is also important that Russia has access to Israel. In this respect, I think cooperation in Blue Stream 2 is very important. There will also be a level of cooperation in nuclear energy. In other words, we can say that Russian-Turkish relations are continuing very energetically. This is why I think Putin's contacts in Ankara are very important. I think there has been an acceleration in bilateral ties after 2000, but we should also understand that the potential is much higher,” he said.

Petrov also stated that Russia and Turkey should develop this potential. “I also see, to a certain extent, that Russia and Turkey are in need of each other. Two civilizations located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. These are unique cultures. They are tied to Europe, but not only that. You can't fit this in a single European culture. In the same vein, it wouldn't be right for the EU to treat Russia and Turkey as it would treat an ordinary country. Despite everything, I think both countries should maintain close cooperation with Europe.”