Russian Commentary on Turkish Influence Expansion Map Including Armenia

Russian political figures have commented on a map displayed by a Turkish television channel, which predicts the expansion of Ankara's sphere of influence towards southern Russia, the South Caucasus, Greece, and the Persian Gulf countries. This was reported by the "RIA Novosti" agency.

The first deputy chairman of the Defense Committee of the State Duma, Andrey Krasov, stated that the Turkish leadership is contemplating the recreation of the Ottoman Empire, while he expressed doubts that Ankara would want to forcibly seize Russian territories.

“As for Crimea and Sevastopol, this issue has been resolved. The president has spoken about this. They are two subjects of the Russian Federation. Regarding other regions of the North Caucasus, there is no need to set eyes on someone else's share,” the parliamentarian said.

Krasov also urged Turkish officials to study Russia's history better. “If they want to test the strength of the Russian spirit and our weaponry, let them try,” the parliamentarian concluded.

Meanwhile, State Duma deputy Pavel Shperov stated that Turkey has never concealed its claims regarding Crimea, and the country’s political circles are seriously discussing the issue of annexation of the peninsula.

“It is clear that the Turkish side wants to regain its sphere of influence, which it had three centuries ago, perhaps even seize certain territories, but I don’t think that this can be seriously discussed in any way,” the deputy said.

Shperov urged preparedness for anything and added that Ankara always pays attention to the statements of Russian politicians. He expressed the opinion that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should respond to the map displayed by the Turkish state television channel.

As previously reported by Tert.am, the Turkish TRT1 television channel aired a forecast of Ankara's spheres of influence, which was previously prepared by the American company Stratfor. According to the map, by 2050, Turkey will significantly expand its sphere of influence in several directions.

Thus, analysts predict that Ankara will be able to strengthen its positions in several southern regions of Russia, particularly in Crimea, Kuban, Kalmykia, Astrakhan, and the republics of the North Caucasus. It is presumed that various territories in Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, as well as Greece and the self-proclaimed republics of Donbas, will fall under Turkish influence. Additionally, experts expect a strengthening of Turkey's positions in the countries of the Persian Gulf, Egypt, and Libya.