Turkish-Russian relations after the Cold War

In 1492, the first Turkish-Russian relations in history started with a letter written by the Moscow Principality to the Ottoman Sultan. The relations, which first started due to commercial activities, turned into relations carried out on the battlefields with the transformation of the Moscow Principality into Tsarism. Russia, one of the countries which the Ottoman Empire fought the most against, cooperated with the Ottoman Empire from time to time. This rivalry between the two states can be thought of as an imposition of the geopolitical conditions on both sides. Turkey and Russia (the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics during the Cold War), which were in the camps rival competing with each other during the Cold War, experienced times of hardening against each other due to the developments in the international arena. However, they did not neglect to cooperate when they felt excluded in the international arena. Just as in the era of empires, the 'cooperation' or 'driver' of relations has been trade. When the economic downturn was entered, both sides did not hesitate to apply to their neighbors. With the end of the polarization brought about by the Cold War period, an opportunity has arisen for the relations between the two countries to be closer than ever before in history. However, from the 1990s to the 2000s, the same environment of competition and insecurity continued under different headings. However, in the early 2000s, with leaders coming to power in both countries with different visions for the Eurasian geography and its neighbors, the relations between the two countries entered the process of convergence and cooperation. There were mutual visits in the political field, the trade volume started to increase, and joint projects were mentioned. As a sign of trust in interstate relations, visas were mutually abolished, and joint energy projects were accelerated. Despite all this, Turkish-Russian relations could not overcome regional competition as a legacy of history. The Syrian civil war, which started in 2011, opened a new chapter between the two countries and has become the leading issue of bilateral relations until now. In this thesis, the nature of the first Turkish-Russian relations in the historical process was examined, and the process called as the period of empires in the literature established by two peoples was investigated. The Cold War period was examined within the framework of its own parameters and the Turkish-Russian relations after the Cold War period, which is the main subject of the study, were investigated in depth in the context of "areas of conflict" and "areas of cooperation". The relations of the two countries, which are neighbors to each other and have always been suspicious of each other, have been investigated. Although the period in which the relations were most intense was the post-Cold War period, the point of emphasizing the past of the relations was not avoided. Turkish-Russian relations were naturally affected by the developments in world politics after the Cold War. However, since the effects of global politics have not been the subject of this thesis, Turkish-Russian relations have been tried to be evaluated by purifying them from foreign influences. As a result, the relations between the two countries have been examined by dividing them into 'conflict areas' and 'cooperation' areas. Key Words: Turkish-Russian Relations, Conflict, Cooperation, Competition, Cold War, Ottoman State, Russian Czar.