The identity of the Turkish state has been transformed under the rule of Islamist President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the central role that religion has come to play in its foreign policy is best exemplified in its relations with the Balkans.
Along with massive consequences for public health, the global pandemic has taken a toll on the world economy. Due to mandatory lockdowns, economic activity has been all but crippled, barring the operations of most of non-essential businesses.
Even though Turkey eyes greater influence over its Turkic kin in Moldova, the Gagauz favor Russia and Turkey’s current foreign policy trajectory leaves it little room to gain leverage.
An arena for global power games for centuries, the Balkans has yet again become the site of geopolitical competition with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The United Kingdom is unable to adequately respond to many problems, it has a historical responsibility to address around the world as it flounders in the endless Brexit issue and, like the rest of the world, battles with COVID19.
The Balkans, one of the regions most ill-prepared for the Coronavirus pandemic, have become a springboard from which global powers attempt to promote their international and domestic political agendas as the West is late to offer a helping hand