Prisoner exchange between Russia and West: Political analyst explains benefits for Türkiye
Photo: The prisoner exchange took place with Türkiye's mediation (Getty Images)
Today's prisoner exchange took place at Ankara Airport between Russia and several Western countries. The exchange was facilitated by Türkiye.
Political scientist Volodymyr Fesenko commented on this to RBC-Ukraine.
Fesenko noted that this exchange once again demonstrated Türkiye's and its leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's effectiveness as a mediator in negotiations with Russia.
"Erdoğan has once again shown that he is the most effective mediator in various complex negotiations between Russia and the West or between Russia and Ukraine. Therefore, Erdoğan's stakes as a mediator in future peace talks are rising," the political scientist remarked.
Moreover, according to Fesenko, Turkey is a unique country with not just friendly but also partnership relations with both warring states.
This, he said, gives Türkiye an advantage in mediation because it is more neutral than, for example, China, which is more of a Russian "second" than a mediator.
"However, this does not guarantee that Türkiye will be the mediator, but this exchange has confirmed that Türkiye already has significant experience and concrete results. Therefore, its chances of playing the role of mediator are increasing," Fesenko concluded.
Today, August 1, a large-scale prisoner exchange took place between Russia and Belarus on one side and the US and Germany on the other. In total, 24 prisoners were exchanged.
Earlier, we reported that a video of the prisoner exchange between Russia and the West at the Turkish airport has already appeared online.
