Russia’s aggressive strategy in Ukraine and its hostile attitude toward the West have forced states in the region to revise current policies toward the Kremlin’s perceived “sphere of influence.” While the EU is searching for ways to avoid conflict with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine, and even though the Turkish government remains concerned over Russia’s treatment of the Crimea Tatar minority in the annexed peninsula, Turkey has shown restraint. Most commentary has focused on Ankara’s dependence on Russian natural gas – Turkish gas imports from Russia were estimated at 57 percent in 2013 – as the reason for Turkey’s moderate approach to the Ukraine crisis. However, when describing Turkey’s reticence in the former Soviet sphere, especially within Central Asia, other factors need to be considered.
In the immediate aftermath of the Soviet Union’s collapse, Turkey was one of the first states to initiate wide-ranging cooperation with the Central Asian states. Despite setbacks in promoting a Turkic Union in the region, Turkish soft power over the years has achieved a moderate level of success, especially in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. In a 2012 interview with an Egyptian outlet, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu stated that Turkey’s primary objectives toward Central Asian countries have been concentrated on supporting “the efforts for a working democracy and free-market economy; political and economic reform process; political and economic stability and prosperity in the region; to contribute to the emergence of an environment conducive to regional cooperation; to support their vocation toward Euro-Atlantic institutions, and to assist them to benefit from their own energy resources.”
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