More than 11 years have passed since Syrian street unrest began. Protests that were soon spoiled by the presence of the Islamist groupssome of which are related Al Qaedaand from appearing on the Middle East scene Islamic State and be caliphate. Then there was the Russian intervention to protect the dictatorship Damascusthe Kurdish resistance Driven by the so-called western coalition, the downfall of the emirate wanted to go through Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and the gradual disengagement (and growing disinterest) from Use and EU countries. in all this time Bashar al Assad and Recep Tayyp Erdogan They have always operated on opposite sides. On the one hand, the forty-year regime is struggling to survive, supported by To fly and Tehranwhich denounced the interference of the Turkish neighbor, on the other side Ankara, which previously realigned itself on positions Born it has supplied weapons to Islamist rebel groups and guaranteed safe hiding places for terrorists in the border areas with Syria. Today, however, according to various Turkish, Russian and Syrian media, the two leaders are They’re ready to talk to each other againafter 11 years, during a phone call that was possible thanks to the mediation of United Arab Emirates and Egypt. A historical event behind which the figure of Wladimir Putinwhich could represent a turning point in the peace process Syrian, but who knows, tooshare cake‘: On the one hand, the need for Damascus to govern stably again and to solve the problem Idlibon the other hand, Ankara’s efforts in the northeast, where it has been gaining ground at the expense of the Kurdish population for years.
“The fact that there may be a meeting or an interview, if this is then confirmed, is an important political acknowledgment – he explains to Ilfattoquotidiano.it Francesco StrazzariProfessor of International Relations at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa-Syria has viewed Turkey as one in recent years invasion country, while Turkish actions in support of the internal rebellion against the Assad regime are known”. So that this rapprochement can take place on the skin of the Kurdish population, hostile to both governments for various reasons, is also evident: “But there is not only that – Strazzari continues – there are many open questions. Damascus wants one greater territorial stability even at the expense of Kurdish autonomy, while Ankara has done so expansionist goals in that area, also aided by the American and Western detachment in general that began during the era donald trump in the white house. Then there is the open question of Idlib (last major jihadist stronghold, editor’s note), with Assad, who wants to reconquer that area, but in which Turkey is also present with the Islamist militias, which he primarily controls incorporated after the fall of the Caliphate and which He fought against the Kurds in the northeast. Even just the fight for Popular protection unit (Ypg/Ypj), which Erdogan believes to be the Syriac expression Kurdistan Workers’ Party Turkish (PKK), used by the President of Ankara for electoral purposes to build consensus at home.
The key to this turning point in relations between the two countries once again seems to be Vladimir Putin. A historic ally of the Damascus regime, it has developed ties with Erdogan’s Turkey in recent years, despite the latter being NATO’s second military power. Friday the leader of theAcParti Turkish flew to Sochi just to meet the Russian President. It is possible that on this occasion not only of was spoken of Ukraine and the release of the grain, with Ankara playing the role of mediator between Moscow and Kyiv, but also the Syrian dossier. Coincidentally, in the last few hours, Turkish forces have abandoned two bases in northern Syria on the border with Turkey and in the Syrian district Tell Abjad Handed over to the Russian armed forces. According to local sources, they are preparing to hand over the two bases to Damascus government forces, who have been absent from the area since 2012 mugged of the Land of the Crescent killed 4 people in Qamishlia predominantly Kurdish city in northeastern Syria controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), with attacks on SDF positions that have intensified in recent months.
“A possible Assad-Erdogan meeting mediated by Putin would not be viewed positively United States – emphasizes the professor – But Turkey does not accept being accountable to NATO in the neighborhood policy. Renewed relations with Russia may certainly have favored this rapprochement”. And it is precisely the Kurdish question, Strazzari concludes, that could become a weapon in Moscow’s hands to further embarrass Washington, underlining the negative consequences of a hasty withdrawal from the Syrian scenario: “Russia wants to drive the US out of Syria (where it is currently present with a few hundred soldiers protecting the oil fields in the northeast, edit) and to do that he needs to create one unfavorable political climate. Leaving Turkey free to attack the Kurds would be a way to create tension between the two sides and highlight once and for all the lack of security guarantees Washington offers the SDFs. In this sense, the words heard by Ilfattoquotidiano.it from sources close to the YPG leaders suffice: “When we talk to the Americans, they ask us for guarantees for the fight against the Islamic State in our territories. But if we ask for protection from Turkey they never promise anything“.