Professor Amin Saikal, a professor at the University of Western Australia, said that Turkey was seriously distancing itself from Western countries and that Turkey was relying too heavily on Russia and China.

"Under the leadership of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey is moving further and further away from the West and closer to the two superpowers, China and Russia," the professor told Defense Military Connect.

He attributed some of the differences and tensions between Turkey and the West to the internal affairs of Turkey and the Kurds. Dr. Saikal said Erdogan had called on the West to support the country in issues such as the suppression of the internal opposition or the Kurds in Iraq and Syria.

The Western Australian university professor went on to say that Erdogan called on Western countries to end cooperation with the Kurds in Iraq and Syria and leave them alone because, in Turkey's view, this cooperation will in some way help the independence of the Kurds in Turkey.

Reporter's code: 50101