Russia–Turkey relations

Russo-Turkish relations are relations between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey and their predecessor states. Contact between the two countries has been close at times, but strained at others.

Early history

Turkic and Slavic peoples have been in contact for hundreds of years. The Russian state was created by expanding against Central Asian and Eastern European steppe Turkic peoples such as the Tartars and "Polovtsy" (Cumans or Kipchaks).

The Turks in Anatolia (future Turkey) were separated from Russia by the Black Sea and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth to the northwest and the Caucasus mountains and Persia to the east. The Turks founded the Ottoman Empire in Anatolia and began expanding outwards, while Russia was doing the same. The two empires began a series of clashes over the Black Sea basin.

Clashes of empires

The starting in 1568, the Ottoman Empire's support for smaller Turkic and Islamic vassal states in modern Russia (the Astrakhan Khanate, the Crimean Khanate, etc.) brought the two empires into conflict. These increasingly went in Russia's favour. By nineteenth century, Russia was helping Turkey's Slavic and Christian minorities to revolt against Ottoman rule. Russia did not always have in mind the goal of partitioning the Ottoman state, fearing this would aid Austria the Russian leaderhip demurred. Eventually, however, the desire for free passage through the Straits and Pan-Slavist feeling at home pushed Russia in that direction, leading to decisive intervention in 1877-78. The two empires fought each other for the last time during the First World War. However, by the end of the war both monarchies had been overthrown.

Turkey and the Soviet Union

Soviet intervention in Turkey prompted Turkey to seek aid from the United States and join NATO.

Turkey and the Russian Federation

References

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Further reading

* cite journal
quotes =
last=Aktürk
first=Şener
authorlink=
coauthors=
date=
year=2006
month=September
title=Turkish-Russian Relations after the Cold War (1992-2002)
journal=Turkish Studies
volume=7
issue=3
pages=337-364
issn =
pmid =
doi=
id=
url=