Historic prisoner swap: What makes Türkiye a trusted actor in the region?

A landmark prisoner swap was successfully completed in Ankara through the mediation of Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organisation (MIT).

From start to finish, MIT managed the operation, ensuring the seamless transfer of prisoners, which was executed with MIT's authorisation and oversight on August 1.

A historic mediation, it is the most comprehensive prisoner swap since the end of the Cold War.

Experts that spoke to TRT World described the operation as “a success that is rarely seen.”

Associate Professor Huseyin Alptekin from the National Defence University notes that it was a "highly complex swap operation with many parts that could go wrong, but none did, carried out in secrecy, and finally announced to the world in full transparency, marking an unprecedented success."

The swap involved seven countries: Germany, Poland, Norway, Slovenia, Belarus, the United States, and Russia. It included 26 hostages, prisoners, and detainees.

The breakdown of the exchange saw 10 prisoners transferred to Russia, 13 to Germany, and 3 to the United States.

Alptekin highlights that coordinating this complex operation in Türkiye and then distributing the individuals to three different countries—Germany, the United States, and Russia—represents “an unprecedented success.”

The operation attracted international attention, particularly as Moscow released "prominent opposition figures" for the first time since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, including Russian-British political activist and journalist Vladimir Kara-Murza.

Kara-Murza’s close friend and former United States Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Matthew Bryza, spoke to TRT World, saying that his mind was “emotionally overcome by the news”, reporting that his “small in stature but gigantic as a person” friend Kara-Murza was released.

Bryza described the operation as “a moment of triumph for the Turkish Ministry of Intelligence's diplomacy.”

Türkiye’s proactive diplomacy

After the operation, the Presidents of Russia and the United States personally greeted the prisoners they had exchanged at the airports.

US State Department Deputy Spokesman Vedant Patel praised Türkiye’s role as “a vital partner and ally,” expressing gratitude for Türkiye's involvement in the swap deal.

Both the operation and its aftermath garnered international attention as a significant “diplomatic success.”

Alptekin highlights two key points that underscore this diplomatic success.

“First is the trust in Türkiye,” he says, and, “second is confidence in Türkiye's ability to handle and successfully complete the task.”

He points out that Türkiye has historically taken the initiative in mediations between diverse and sometimes opposing actors, with a reputation for acting with integrity.

"There is trust that Türkiye will neither leak information nor sabotage the process," says Alptekin.

Ali Bakir, Assistant Professor at Qatar University, and a Türkiye expert, agrees that the successful mediation demonstrates Türkiye as a “trusted intermediary” in the region.

Speaking to TRT World, Bakir says, “The successful coordination of this prisoner swap by MIT highlights Ankara's role as a trusted intermediary that can engage with diverse and sometimes opposing global powers.”

Bakir believes trust in Türkiye comes from its proactive diplomacy throughout the years.

“Türkiye built trust through proactive diplomacy, years of behind-closed-doors intelligence sharing and cooperation, and maintaining a delicate balance in its foreign relations between the conflicting nations,” he says.

“These factors ensure it remains engaged with both Western and Eastern powers and allows Ankara to act as a trusted mediator without being seen as biased toward any particular bloc,” Bakir adds.

Türkiye’s diplomatic success extends beyond this operation, as the country has demonstrated its prowess through a series of effective mediations in recent years.

One example is the Second Karabakh War resolution in 2020, which combined military, political, and strategic successes, enhancing Türkiye's regional influence and reinforcing its alliances.

Another notable example is the 2022 Grain Corridor agreement between Russia and Ukraine, initiated by Türkiye and mediated at Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul. This agreement established procedures to safely export grain from specific ports, aiming to address the global food crisis and prevent potential famines.

And this year, the ongoing 2024 Ethiopia-Somaliland negotiations represent a vital diplomatic effort by Türkiye in Africa.

Türkiye has begun mediating talks between Somalia and Ethiopia over a port deal that Addis Ababa signed with the breakaway region of Somaliland earlier this year.

Commenting on Turkiye's diplomatic achievements on the regional level, Bakir says they are “attributed to its strategy of leveraging its regional influence to achieve broader diplomatic goals.”

Bryza agrees with Bakir that proactive diplomatic steps bolster trust in Türkiye.

“Türkiye has used intelligence diplomacy very effectively, and Turkish diplomacy, in general, has been a huge success when it comes to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the grain deal,” Bryza says.

“I think Ankara built trust by simply being tenacious, open, and constructive and by providing collaborative services, whether it be communications as a part of diplomacy or logistics,” he adds.

Reliable, autonomous, strategic

According to experts, Türkiye's growing role as a mediator on the international stage under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's leadership turned the country into an “actor” rather than a “passive bridge position.”

“In the past, we always said that Türkiye was a bridge between the East and the West. The positioning imparted passivity to Türkiye, making it a stopover on a route where trade, goods, information, threats, and waves of migration from the East and the West would pass,” Alptekin says.

“Today, we can no longer speak of Türkiye being a passive bridge,” he adds.

Alptekin argues that Türkiye has emerged as an autonomous country capable of asserting its own initiative, no longer a satellite of any Western or Eastern power.

He notes that this power projection extends beyond military force to include economic influence, intelligence capabilities, and mediation initiatives.

“Türkiye is not just a transit route between the East and the West, and can make decisions within its strategic autonomy framework, implement those decisions, and project power,” he says.

Bakir, on the other hand, highlights Türkiye’s growing influence in the region, which is a reflection of its growing diplomatic stature and strategic importance on the global stage.