Russian policy toward the Middle East: The Yeltsin legacy and the Putin challenge

Given its greatly weakened geopolitical position after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Moscow has had to reorient its foreign policy. Displaying increasing concern about the newly independent states of Central Asia and the TransCaucasus, which many Russians see as the "soft underbelly" of the Russian Federation, Russian policy has had a special focus on Iran and Turkey. Russia developed a close tactical alliance with Iran which not only was a major purchaser of Russian nuclear reactors and military equipment, but also shared with Moscow a common policy approach toward developments in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Azerbaizhan. Russia has had a more mixed relationship with Turkey, although by the time Vladimir Putin took over as Russia's president, the relationship had moved toward greater cooperation, especially in the area of energy.