In the diplomat’s opinion, Türkiye is a great power, an influential regional player, and in recent years, it has maintained an independent position on most issues that guarantees, first of all, its own national interests.

This principled approach contributes to the development of mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation, Pilipson stated.

The Russian-Turkish collaboration has shown dynamism in recent years, with bilateral trade exceeding 62 billion dollars in 2022, and this effective interaction motivates some Western countries to try to undermine it, the official said.

“It seems that destructive line towards Russian-Turkish relations will continue, however, I am confident that together with Turkish partners we will be able to resist the subversive attempts of hostile forces,” Pilipson said.

Pilipson made his remarks on the eve of the second round of the presidential elections in Türkiye.

llp/ro/gfa