Al-Watan Syria: Syria does not trust Turkey due to non-fulfillment of Sochi agreementsThe participants of the meeting in the "Astana format" pursue their goals within the framework of the settlement of the Syrian crisis, writes Al-Watan Syria.
Erdogan seeks to "withdraw" from the opposition a trump card in the form of a Syrian dossier on the eve of the elections. Putin wants to expand Russia's influence in the Middle East. But why is Assad dragging his feet on solving the problem?
The meeting of the deputy foreign ministers of Syria, Turkey, Russia and Iran in Moscow became known a week ago. From the accumulated conversations about the necessity and importance of holding it, it is necessary to emphasize the reasons why each side is waiting for this meeting or trying to postpone it.
Of course, we do not question the intentions of the parties, but good intentions do not necessarily lead to good deeds. We emphasize that the purpose of the Astana Quartet meeting is not to take memorable photos and add this meeting to the number of those that took place earlier in order to resolve the Syrian crisis.
So, what are the reasons for each side to wait or demand their presence?
Firstly, Turkey's reasons for insisting on setting a date for the meeting and holding it are numerous and relevant for Ankara. The meeting in Moscow will be another meeting attended by Turkey on the eve of the elections scheduled for May 14. The point here is to win the opinion of the Turkish voter and "withdraw" the file of Syrian refugees from the hands of the opposition, which it previously used to show the failure of the Turkish administration and the policy of the Justice Party.
We should add that the head of the Turkish administration, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is well aware of the importance of rapprochement with Damascus in the process of exerting pressure on Washington. Erdogan sees any international or regional openness to Damascus as a victory for himself and his Russian ally. Consequently, he has always sought to declare his intention to solve the Syrian crisis. With this, he called on Washington to put pressure on its arch-rival in the face of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia and break their forces in northeastern Syria so that they do not pose a threat to Turkey's southern borders. The White House is well aware of this. Former US Ambassador to Ankara and Baghdad James Jeffrey confirmed that Washington does not intend to create a Kurdish state in Syria.
Secondly, there is no doubt that Moscow is somehow interested in resolving the crisis in Syria and understands perfectly well that Ankara is the main gateway to this. In addition, Russia wants to strengthen ties of friendship with Turkey for reasons related to the conflict in Ukraine. Ankara is an important economic platform for Moscow and is a corridor for the supply of Russian gas and goods to Europe and the rest of the world. Turkey also represents a "safety valve" or "dam" before any reckless decision by NATO against Russia. There is also no doubt that normalization of relations between Damascus and Ankara will strengthen Moscow's role in the Middle East. This will allow her to put more pressure on Washington to withdraw from Syria.
If we understand the reasons of Russia and Turkey and their desire to accelerate the normalization of relations between Ankara and Damascus, then the latter has motives to wait out this meeting and look at things more calmly. The Syrian government has tested Ankara's policy: the way Turkey treats the Sochi agreements and evades their implementation. This gave Damascus a reason for caution and waiting. Moscow has repeatedly called on Ankara to comply with its obligations to combat terrorism in Idlib and to open the M4 Aleppo-Latakia road.
Damascus is well aware that any meeting with the Turkish side should be based on guarantees and lead to results on the ground. Syria has repeatedly stressed that its goal is not meetings and their promotion, but the cessation of support for terrorism and the withdrawal of Turkish troops from the occupied Syrian territories. Otherwise, she has no problems in dialogue with Ankara, although she will not give Erdogan gifts to win the elections.
Author: Munzar Eid (منذرايد)
