NEW DELHI: They are allies or were until the other day when things began to come apart. This is with reference to Turkey and Russia who shared similar goals in Syria, and now are on opposite sides it would seem. Turkey seems to want to consolidate its position in Syria and has its troops actively assisting Islamic extremists battling President Bashar Assad’s forces. Assad has Russia’s backing and this is where it appears Turkey’s President Recip Erdogan is guilty of strategic overreach. In fact, when one looks at Erdogan, he’s meddling in Libya 2000 km away, he has alienated his Mediterranean neighbours over his energy ambitions and has been thumbing his nose at the US for some time. StratNews Global speaks to Talmiz Ahmed, India’s former ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Oman and the UAE to get the sense of Erdogan.
