Turkey 'Running With Scissors' by Building Its New Foreign Policy

Ankara is pursuing a new foreign policy, both demonstrating common interests with Russia and restoring friendly ties with Israel, FAZ columnist Rainer Hermann wrote.

This summer, Turkey's foreign policy is characterized by a more pro-active strategy, with President Erdogan seeking to make friends with neighboring countries, Hermann wrote.

After the meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Putin two weeks ago, Turkey has started to play a more active role in Syria, in particular by conducting "Operation Euphrates Shield," aimed at cleansing the border region of Daesh and Kurdish fighters.

"There are two reasons for the current developments: Daesh terrorism that has overwhelmed Turkey and the need to prevent the Kurds from using 'a corridor' on the other side of the border. Daesh can't be tolerated any more in the buffer zone around the city of Jarablus, where there is now fierce fighting; moreover, Turkey seeks to revive the "Free Syrian Army"," Hermann wrote.

With its new foreign policy, Turkey is "running with scissors," Deutsche Welle wrote. Although Russia, Turkey and Iran are finding more and more common interests, the Turkish-Israeli rapprochement is happening so fast that one might forget that both countries were almost in a state of cold war.

"On the one hand, Erdogan welcomes US Vice President Biden, on the other, Ankara considers granting Russia access to Incirlik airbase, which has already been used by the US Air Force to attack Daesh positions and where the US nuclear weapons have been stored until recently," the media source wrote.

Earlier, the Turkish leadership stressed that Ankara will focus on making friends instead of enemies. The new strategy led to a thaw in Russia-Turkey relations after the Turkish president apologized in a letter to his Russian counterpart for the incident with the Russian Su-24 plane and offered his condolences to the family of the killed pilot.

On August 9, the two leaders met in Saint Petersburg to discuss mutual cooperation. Among other things, President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged to restore economic relations between the two countries.

Prior to his visit to Russia, President Erdogan called President Putin his friend and noted that he wanted to open a new page in relations with Moscow. After the failed coup attempt in Turkey, Vladimir Putin expressed support for the Turkish leader and condemned the unlawful actions of the military.

The head of the Turkish-Russian Research Center, Aydin Sezer, told Sputnik that "Erdogan's rapprochement with Russia, of course, is a strong signal to the West." A similar point of view was expressed in DW's publication.

"If Washington doesn't banish Gulen out of the country, America will feel Turkey's anger even more than Germany after the adoption of the resolution on Armenian Genocide," the media source stated.