Inside – "Clash of Cultures," but what about outside?

Abdel Fattah el-Sisi being received by President Erdoğan at Ankara Airport on September 4 marked the first sign of a 180-degree shift in Turkey's policy towards Cairo. Subsequently, a rare event occurred in the state protocol: Erdoğan traveled from the airport to his palace in the capital in the same car with his Egyptian guest.

After the end of the Cold War, Turkey is perhaps experiencing the most stagnant period in its foreign policy. About half of the reasons for this stem from the Islamist policies Ankara has pursued over the past 15 years, while the other half is due to historical mutual disagreements and, particularly, the stance of countries that do not wish to see Turkey's arms industry strengthen.

Until a few months ago, Ankara, which expressed its intention to join all organizations, both old and new, from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to BRICS, at every opportunity, deemed it appropriate to turn back and once again prioritize repairing its fractured relations with Middle Eastern countries.

The outcomes of the talks held on August 19 in Baku during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state visit are being carefully analyzed, especially given leaks from Russian (!) sources on several contentious issues, while Baku remains silent on them.