Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan have had a love-hate relationship over the decades, but their ties are undeniably strong.
The Russian and Turkish presidents have also become known for their antagonistic relationship, particularly when it comes to geopolitics. While both leaders have been accused of clamping down on civil liberties at home, they’ve also positioned themselves as world leaders who can stand up to Western liberal democracies. The tension between these two men is not new, however.
Their relationship has gone through many ups and downs over the past decades. Both men have personal histories that explain how they came to distrust each other so much. Understanding what led to this complicated dynamic between Putin and Erdogan helps us understand why they clash so often today.
Erdogan and Putin: Two men, two countries, and the Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire was an Islamic empire that lasted from 1299 to 1923. It was established in what is now Turkey, the Balkans, and the Middle East, and its capital was Constantinople (now Istanbul). By the 19th century, the Ottoman Empire was in decline. It lost territory in the Balkans and was no longer the dominant power in the Middle East. The empire ended when Constantinople was invaded and occupied by the Allied Powers in October of 1918. The empire’s territory covered most of Middle Eastern Asia and Mediterranean Europe then. Turkey is its modern-day successor.