On May 12 Turkey and Turks were the subjects of negative jokes on the RTR-Platena television channel of the Russia Federation. Turks were caricaturized as barbaric people; and Turkish men were depicted as wearing the fez and women the chador.

Throughout the TV program it was pointed out that Turkey should not be preferred as a vacation destination but that the Black Sea coasts of the Russian Federation or Crimea should be considered instead. While a song with the lyrics “I’d rather go to Crimea and to Sochi than the coasts of Turkey” played, they danced.

Their main concern has become Russian tourists choosing to vacation in Turkey. Both Moscow and Ankara should be careful about this issue. It is one which is liable to provoke tension. Some groups who experienced the Cold War era in the Russian Federation have started to use those events as a means of opposition against Turkey and Turks.

As for Turkey, a positive perception of “the Russian Federation,” “Russia” and “Putin” is on the rise. A positive relationship is being established between Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Vladimir Putin. The Russian Federation is trusted.

Turkey is quite pleased with the number of Russian tourists who visit, which exceeds 3 million a year; having Russian daughters-in-law (Turkish men marrying Russian women); and trading with the Russians.

Erdoğan, Putin and Dmitry Medvedev have a very broad vision. Turks have already forgotten about the Cold War. They are just focused on the future. As for the Russians, they are having trouble changing their perceptions.

Why did the situation in the north suddenly turn against Turkey and the Turks? The first reason for this is that the remnants of the Cold War era and those who are trying to base Russian nationalism on an opposition to Turks and Turkey are taking advantage of the gradual differentiation between Russian and Turkish Middle East policy.

This differentiation is not only about Syria. The inclination towards different policies covers all of the Arab world and Iran. Moreover, the Jewish lobby is more influential in Moscow than in Washington, D.C. They have more power in terms of affecting sanctions and policies.

Therefore, the tension between Turkey and Israel causes a standoff and invisible cracks in the relationship between Ankara and Moscow. Israel wants Damascus to be ruled by a “wounded lion.” As for Turkey, it seems to be favoring a change in Damascus’ rulers while maintaining the territorial integrity of Syria. The differentiation between Turkey and Israel in terms of Syria’s future increases the tension between Ankara and Moscow.