Mikhail Gusman, the first deputy director-general of the TASS news agency and a Russian international affairs journalist, recently unveiled a documentary about President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The presentation took place at the Turkish Embassy in Moscow.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Grushko, Türkiye’s Ambassador to Russia Mehmet Samsar, TASS Director-General Sergey Mikhaylov and diplomatic representatives of foreign countries and journalists attended the screening, which was held under the auspices of the embassy.
In the documentary, which was made for the Formula of Power series, Erdoğan’s life since his childhood, rise in politics, success and service during his administration were recounted along with sections from a previous interview.
In addition, important statements from President Erdoğan’s book "A Fairer World Is Possible," which was translated into Russian with the coordination of the Presidency's Directorate of Communications, were included in the documentary, and Erdoğan’s views were emphasized.
The documentary was also broadcast on the Russian state television channel Rossiya-24 a short while ago.
After the screening, Gusman answered Anadolu Agency (AA) ’s questions about President Erdoğan and the documentary.
He said he had interviewed Erdoğan four times and had met with more than 400 important names within the framework of the program, which he has been preparing and presenting for 22 years.
Gusman said he met with Erdoğan twice while he was prime minister and twice when he was president.
"President Erdoğan is a great politician. Erdoğan’s role as a leader today is extremely important not only in Türkiye but also in the world," he said.
"What impressed me the most about him was his incredible ability to understand the arguments, to dig deep into the core of the issues we discussed," Gusman said.
"He didn’t just answer questions. He provided a multilayered analysis of the issues we discussed as a whole."
Drawing attention to the close relationship between Erdoğan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Gusman said: "Yes, there may be their different points of view on many issues. Their analyses or some of their evaluations may differ. But it is vital for the world that those leaders have a trustworthy relationship, which is very important."
Discussing the purpose of the documentary, Gusman said the presidential election was held in Türkiye a short time ago and they wanted to show Erdoğan to millions of Russians.
Noting that the documentary has been shown on state TV channels twice in the last two days, reaching millions, he said, "It is very important to present Erdoğan to the Russian audience. Unfortunately, people in Türkiye and Russia do not know much about the world leaders, even the leaders of their neighboring countries. Türkiye has been our neighbor and partner for many years. President Erdoğan has been in power for many years. It is very important to provide a complete portrait of him and to tell his story."
Gusman said he would like to interview Erdoğan for a fifth time if possible, adding he would be very happy if this happened.
Emphasizing that he loves Turkish music, he noted that he often listens to it at home and in his car.
He also said that he deeply respects the Turkish people.