Has Erdogan found the support he was looking for in Tehran, regarding operation in Syria?
(In this article we are sharing with THANKS “excerpts” from an article written by MURAT YETKIN, a prominent Turkish journalist and translated by BTT with a few editions – Concerned link is shared down below as well)
“Following the trilateral meetings with Iran and Russia in Tehran, has Erdogan been able to find the support he has been looking for from Russia and Iran for the Syrian operation – which he said would start any minute, in May?
We can find the answer in Erdogan’s speech at this 7th Trilateral Summit of the Astana Process held in Tehran. Erdogan’s prominent sentences on this issue were as follows:
• “Our fight against terrorist organizations will always continue, regardless of where and by whom they are supported. We are determined to dismantle the evil groups that threat our national security, from Syria. As the guarantors of Astana, our expectation from the Russian Federation and Iran is that they will support Turkey in this struggle.”
The answer we are looking for is in following words of the last sentence: “our expectation” is they will support, meaning this has not realized yet and Erdogan expects it to come true.
DISCUSSIONS IN TEHRAN
In fact, Russia has been saying that it opposes such an operation on every occasion, but indirectly using expressions such as “Turkey should avoid actions that increase tension”. The US is a little more open. As a matter of fact, Biden, who met with Erdogan in the framework of the NATO Summit on June 29, later explained that he stressed the importance of maintaining stability in the Aegean and Syria. He was trying to say “don’t cause military tension in the Aegean and Syria”.
But the most outspoken was Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the religious leader of Iran, whom Erdogan met in Tehran. Despite Erdogan’s statements such as “Tel Rifat and Manbij have become a hotbed of terror. The cleaning time of the nests of terror has already come and that this is for the good of Syria, Khamenei stated that he was against this operation with the following words:
• “An operation to be carried out in the north of Syria will benefit the terrorists. Of course, terrorists are not limited to a particular group”. Syrian issues should be resolved through dialogue, and Iran, Turkey, Syria and Russia should end this issue with negotiations.”
To recap, Hameney suggests that Turkey starts talking to Syria, Bashar al-Assad, a step that Erdogan would strictly refuse to take for personal reasons, “really”.
Turkey has been conducting military operations in Iraq and Syria within the framework of the “Fight against terrorism at its source” strategy, since July 15, 2016,
We can say that the operations in Syria were carried out within the knowledge of Russia. Because they have control of the airspace, and Russia has always been the one who assured that Syrian jets would not shoot down Turkish troops. Now Russia says, ”don’t do it.”
The operation, which Turkey intends to organize against the PKK and its derivative organizations in Syria, seems to have brought together the United States, Russia and Iran, which have never gotten along with each other.
So, should Turkey’s security concerns and priorities depend on what the United States, Russia, and Iran say about it? Erdogan who has been saying that the Syrian operation will begin any minute since May, should be the one to provide(edited the answer.”
Content taken from an ARTICLE written by MURAT YETKIN (a prominent Turkish journalist) and translated with some editions by BTT. Link source for original article: yetkinreport.com/2022/07/20/erdogan-tahranda-aradigi-suriye-destegini-bulamadi/?
