Putin will lose something very valuable if Erdogan loses: Klimkin announced the forecast

If the current head of state Recep Tayyip Erdogan loses to his main rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu in the next presidential election in Turkey, the head of the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin, will lose the “personal element” of interaction with Turkey, which is important for him. However, Ankara’s position in relation to Ukraine will remain unchanged.

This opinion was expressed in an exclusive interview with GLOBAL HAPPENINGS by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine in 2014-2019 Pavlo Klimkin. “I think that the main directions of Turkish politics will remain unchanged, but if Erdogan loses, then the whole aura of personal relations with Putin will disappear,” he said.

According to the diplomat, certain relations have developed between the two heads of state – Erdogan and Putin – over the course of many years of rule. In particular, “Putin understands Erdogan, understands his personal strengths and weaknesses. And what Putin needs above all is these personal relationships,” he explained.

“In Russia, the personal element will disappear. And the personal element means a lot to people like Putin and Erdogan. More than institutions, more than some rules.” “It will obviously be more difficult for Putin to negotiate with the new president,” Klimkin predicted.

According to him, in the event of a change of power in the country, in particular, if the opposition wins the parliamentary elections, this may lead to Turkey’s return to a parliamentary-presidential republic, that is, to a weakening of the role of the president.

“This will mean that foreign policy will be determined more collegially and Turkey will cooperate more actively with both the European Union and the United States,” Klimkin said.

As GLOBAL HAPPENINGS wrote, on Sunday, May 14, another presidential election was held in Turkey. None of the candidates could score 50%, so the second round is expected. Incumbent President Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu enter it.