BERLIN (AFP) — Leading representatives of the FDP and the Greens have concerns about the planned summit of Russia’s president Wladimir Putin shared with his colleagues from Iran and Turkey. Putin’s upcoming visit to Tehran is “worrying,” said FDP foreign policy expert Michael Link to the editorial network Germany (RND, Tuesday editions).
Iran is pursuing a dual strategy and “on the one hand is negotiating with the West about lifting the sanctions and on the other hand is seeking a rapprochement with Russia,” added Link. The FDP politician stressed that Germany and the EU must make it clear that supporting the war in Ukraine would have “additional severe economic consequences” for Tehran. This also applies to a resumption of the nuclear program.
The foreign policy spokesman for the Greens in the Bundestag, Jürgen Trittin, described the summit meeting as a “dance on the volcano for the security of Europe and the Middle East”. Turkey is a NATO member. But Erdogan has repeatedly shown “that his own interests are always closer to him than the defense alliance,” Trittin told RND.
The foreign policy spokesman for the SPD parliamentary group, Nils Schmid, was more cautious. “The meeting is very tactical,” he told RND. He sees it as an “attempt to suggest the West’s own strength”. However, this has “little substance”. Russia and Iran have many conflicting interests. “Iran would like to increase its oil exports to the West – that would weaken the Russian position,” said Schmid.
The presidents of Russia, Turkey and Iran meet for a summit in the Iranian capital Tehran on Tuesday. The conversation is supposed to be about the situation in the Syrian conflict. However, the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine is also likely to play an important role.
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
July 18, 2022 18:00 ET (22:00 GMT)