|
Russia and Turkey have long competed against one another for
influence in the region. Since the 16th century Turkey (then the Ottoman
Empire) and Russia have gone to war at least 12 times - nine times had some
connection to the Crimea Peninsula.
Russia's recent military intervention in Syria is not its first.
In 1772, Russia landed troops in the Syrian Levant to back a local strongman
against the Ottoman Empire.
In 1879, Russian forces made it as close to Constantinople as the
modern-day location of Ataturk Airport.
During World War I, the two powers traded blows in Eastern
Anatolia and across the South Caucasus, resulting in devastating losses for
both sides. Russia even armed local Kurdish forces during the war.
Russia has long coveted the Turkish Straits and it despises the
1936 Montreux Convention which gives Turkey sovereign control over them.
Control of Constantinople (later Istanbul) has been a dream for Russian
admirals for generations.
After World War II there was even a failed attempt by Moscow to
claim large swaths of Turkey, including the Black Sea port of Trabzon, for the
Soviet Union.
|
|
0 comments:
Post a Comment