RE: RESOLVING THE TURKISH-RUSSIAN CRISIS
The relations between Turkey and Russia deteriorated since November 24, 2016, when Turkish troops downed a Russian Jet. The Russians indicate that the plane was on a mission against some of the Turkish-supported militants fighting the Bashar al-Assad’s regime in the Northern regions of Syria. Moscow disputed Turkey’s allegations and introduced a raft of anti-Turkish sanctions, including a ban on Turkish tour packages and imports. The Russian government suggested that it was not willing to de-escalate the situation until the Turkish government accepted its conditions, including a formal apology for the brutal murder of a Russian pilot. Specifically, the murder of a Russian pilot infuriated most Russian citizens who demanded that the involved individuals be punished.
This issue is of primary importance because it has numerous far-reaching effects on the economies of both nations as well as other neighbouring nations. For example, the crisis affected the trade relations between Russia and Turkey, a situation that had resulted in the decline in Turkey’s exports to Russia by about 65%. Furthermore, the crisis has affected Turkey’s tourism industry significantly. On the other hand, a full-blown war between Turkey and Russia might suck in other nations such as the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, thereby leading to frosty relations that might jeopardise international peace.
I firmly believe that the current policies that control or regulate joint military actions are inadequate, and they need to be revamped to include provisions for dealing with conflicts by accident. The Turkish government maintains that it had no intentions of shooting down a Russian Jet. In fact, Ankara suggests that it for a militant jet that was targeting its borders. Therefore, some of the strategies that can be used to address the conflict between the two nations are outlined below.
Increased diplomatic ties to facilitate deliberations on issues that are likely to create tensions between nations
The two nations should commit to working out a solution for the conflict
The two nations should focus on preventing and escalation of the conflict
The two nations should identify tire mistakes and prevent them from recurring in future
Bibliography
FT correspondents. Tensions between Russia and Turkey reach new peak. Financial Times. Retrieved February 29, 2016, from <http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d36160f2-d3df-11e5- 8887 98e7feb46f27.html#axzz41YtkyMsS>
Ron Fisher. Sources of Conflict and Methods of Conflict Resolution. Communicationcache. Retrieved February 29, 2016, from <http://www.communicationcache.com/uploads/1/0/8/8/10887248/sources_of_confli ct_and_methods_of_resolution.pdf>
