Minister Fidan assessed the foreign policy agenda and answered questions during a live broadcast from Habertürk.
Fidan said he had been in contact with many parts of the world recently and recalled that he had attended the Ukrainian peace conference in Switzerland.
Fidan said that while some see Turkey’s participation in BRICS as a “pivot shift,” it has been a long time since Turkish foreign policy removed pivot shifts from its agenda, and that Turkey needs to keep a close eye on BRICS issues while continuing to cooperate closely with them and track how alternative economic platforms are taking shape in the world.
When asked if BRICS could be an alternative to the G7, Minister Fidan said, “The G7 is a place where countries that think about more political issues, the same strategic goals, the same civilizational fields come together. On the other hand, BRICS is a group of countries that basically have no structure in their rules,” he replied.
Fidan said that compared to the EU, BRICS is a platform that includes all civilizations, races and religions, explaining that this platform could generate significant benefits if structured and institutionalized like the EU.
Fidan stressed that Turkey’s attitude, pursuits and dialogue here are quite normal, and said that Turkey strives to keep its bilateral relations with BRICS member states at a good level, especially in the economic sphere.
Fidan said China and Russia are the two countries with the largest foreign trade volume for Turkey, adding that Turkey is holding meetings and negotiations with BRICS member states.
Visit to Russia
Fidan recalled that during his visit to Russia to attend the BRICS+ meeting, he was in contact with Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and a number of key figures of the Russian state system.
Noting that Erdogan may meet with Putin in Kazakhstan within the next few days, Foreign Minister Fidan stressed that relations with Russia, especially Syria, Ukraine, energy issues in bilateral cooperation, issues related to trade volumes, the situation of Turkish companies in the country, etc. are of great importance to Russia.
Fidan said he witnessed growing global divisions over the war during his visits to China and Russia, even if the war did not spread to other countries. “China, Russia, South Korea, Iran, they’re at war,” he said. “They’re no longer dialogue partners, they’re now moving towards solidarity, which is such a structural partnership.” “Of course, this is actually a proliferation caused by the war,” he said.
Russia-Ukraine War
Fidan said he conveyed to his interlocutors Turkey’s view that peace is especially essential regarding the Ukrainian issue and that Russia should decide on its stance at this point, recalling that Putin had itemized his country’s conditions for stopping the war with Ukraine during a meeting he later held at the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Fidan said it was important for Putin to state these conditions, and that the other side should also make its intentions clear by saying “yes” or “no” to the clauses.
“We are in the 21st century, in a situation where more than 500,000 people have died, the country’s infrastructure and superstructure are being destroyed, millions have been displaced, and the war is spreading to Russia,” Fidan said. “We are no longer in a position to deal with this escalation.”
Regarding whether there is a basis for the Istanbul negotiation process between Russia and Ukraine, Fidan noted that he has always looked at the basis for the negotiation process, and it is important whether the parties want to use this basis.
Fidan said that the two parties do not want to show weakness to either the other side or the people by being the first to advocate peace, negotiations and dialogue, and that they are also looking forward to the electoral processes taking place in Europe and the United States.
Fidan reminded that Russia has repeatedly stated that it will not hesitate to use any type of weapon, including nuclear weapons, and noted that if we compare the weapons and ranges used at the start of the war with those used now, there is a very serious methodological escalation.
“As long as the war continues, this risk will continue. There is no escape from it, because both sides use different qualified weapons and different means of turning the tide,” Fidan said, noting that Turkey has been warning about the issue since the start of the conflict. “Everything has an impact, so after the proxies work, this spark can spread to other places,” he said.
“There is currently no ongoing war between the government and the rebels.”
Assessing the situation in Syria, Foreign Minister Fidan said, “The most important thing that both Russia and our country have achieved so far in Syria is that at the moment there is no ongoing war between the regime and the opposition.”
Fidan emphasized that Russia and Turkey reached an agreement at the leadership level, that the process and the format were implemented, and that this is the biggest achievement, and said, “We hope that the Syrian regime will use this non-conflict period, this period, to resolve constitutional issues and make peace with its opponents. We should wisely remain silent. ” “We should use these years as an opportunity to return the millions of people who have fled and migrated abroad, to rebuild and revitalize the country. ” But we see that it is not being fully utilized,” he said.
Fidan noted that he had emphasized these issues in his meetings with Putin and other colleagues, saying:
“Syria needs to do this on its own. Of course, we see it as important for the region in terms of development. We see it as important for the return of refugees. A Syria that is little by little stabilized and integrated with the government” will make the opposition a more effective actor, especially in the fight against PKK terrorism. “We think that will happen. As I said, the Russian presence in Syria, the Iranian presence, the constant Israeli operations and the Iranian presence. The various militias to defend our own interests further complicate matters. “It is important that we follow a dynamic policy.”
In response to a question about what was the last book he read, Fidan said he read “The Book of Changes” (I Ching), a very original book about Chinese culture, and shared his views on the work.
