Politico declares Türkiye's Erdogan "one of Europe's most powerful people"

The American publication Politico has declared Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan one of “the most influential people in Europe in 2024.”

The Turkish leader took fifth place in the “doers” category. Politico called him a "middleman."

A profile on the Politico website notes that Erdogan has long sought to position himself as a “strong geopolitical leader.” The publication recalled that the politician survived a failed coup attempt in 2016. According to the material, Erdogan “has recently benefited most from two major geopolitical crises: the Russian-Ukrainian war and the conflict between Israel and Hamas.”

The publication indicates that Erdogan is one of the few politicians who maintain contacts with both the Kremlin and the administration of the President of Ukraine. The article notes that the President of Türkiye took on a mediating role in the peaceful resolution of the armed conflict between the Russian Federation and Ukraine.

It was also emphasized that the head of the Turkish state initiated the Black Sea Grain Initiative and made efforts to extend the grain agreement.

The Turkish President's desire for a mediation mission against the backdrop of the conflict between Israel and Hamas was also emphasized. The publication writes that Erdogan wanted to achieve de-escalation of the situation through contacts with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as the leaders of Egypt, Lebanon and Qatar.

Politico points out that as the situation unfolded, Erdogan took a pro-Palestinian stance, calling Israel an "occupier" and saying that "the true culprit of the Gaza massacre is the West."

The publication also writes that Erdogan “tried to return himself to the orbit of the European Union” and “used” the issue of Sweden’s accession to NATO to bring Türkiye’s EU membership process out of a “stagnant state.”

Politico stresses that while Türkiye's EU membership is not currently on the table, "EU officials are looking for ways to expand cooperation with Erdogan." The publication calls this “another geopolitical victory for the Turkish leader.”

The first in the “Active” category was taken by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the second by the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. Next come French President Emmanuel Macron and Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak.