With Recep Tayyip Erdogan securing another five years in power, the Turkish president is seeking to increase Turkiye’s influence in the Balkans — a region that was part of the Ottoman Empire for centuries.

Even as Russia struggles to achieve military and political success in Ukraine, its leaders have turned their attention to another regional objective: restarting business in the so-called graveyard of empires.

Central Asia and the South Caucasus have long been within Russia’s geopolitical orbit. But as the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine stumbles on, Turkiye is looking to take advantage by increasing its influence in these strategically important regions.

European leaders last week described their decision to award membership candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova as a “historic moment” for the bloc. Left unsaid was how long it could take for the final “moment” to arrive.