ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st January, 2023) Washington is putting pressure on Ankara to impose sanctions against Russia, but Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is still pursuing his own, independent policy towards Moscow, Turkish economist Bartu Soral said on Tuesday.
"Our economy is based not on planned production, but on unplanned trade. In other words, there is an understanding of an economy based on trade rather than manufacturing. There is no plan anyway. The US is putting pressure on us, demanding an embargo against Russia, but there are no serious sanctions," Soral was quoted as saying by Turkish newspaper Aydinlik.
The Turkish economist reportedly added that Erdogan was pursuing his own policy towards Russia, within the framework of which he established warm relations with Moscow.
"However, the employees he is working with do not treat Turkey's growing cooperation with Shanghai and the BRICS countries with the same warmth. Despite this fact, they also realize that maintaining their positions depends on Erdogan's election victory, and the election victory depends on the absence of any sanctions against Russia," Aydinlik quoted Soral as saying.
If a serious study of public opinion among the Turkish population is carried out, it will become clear that "anti-American and anti-Western sentiments are at their peak," the economist reportedly said.
Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, responding to calls for help from the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. Western countries, including Canada, and their allies responded by imposing comprehensive sanctions against Russia. Ankara has not joined Russia sanctions as they could hit, first of all, the Turkish economy, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said last year.
