Under threat? Syrian Kurds demonstrate in the northeastern city of Qamishli © Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP
CHERRY MEIGH TIMBOL
FRANCE24 | Published December 3, 2024
Istanbul (AFP) – Turkey could be one of the big winners from the new Syria crisis, giving it a chance to tackle its Syrian refugee problem and the Kurdish threat along its border, observers say.
Although Syrian President Bashar al-Assad spurned an offer of help from his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ankara now appears to have an increasingly important role in decisions that will affect Syria’s immediate future.
– What role did Turkey play in the new rebel offensive?
Omer Ozkizilcik, an Atlantic Council associate researcher in Ankara, said Turkey has a “complex and difficult relationship” with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the jihadist alliance that led last week’s rebel offensive.
“We can clearly say there was indirect Turkish support (for the offensive) but no direct Turkish involvement,” he told AFP.
Although the attack was due to take place “seven weeks ago… Turkey stopped the rebels from launching this military offensive,” he added.
Although Syrian President Bashar al-Assad spurned an offer of help from his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ankara now appears to have an increasingly important role in decisions that will affect Syria’s immediate future.
– What role did Turkey play in the new rebel offensive?
Omer Ozkizilcik, an Atlantic Council associate researcher in Ankara, said Turkey has a “complex and difficult relationship” with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the jihadist alliance that led last week’s rebel offensive.
“We can clearly say there was indirect Turkish support (for the offensive) but no direct Turkish involvement,” he told AFP.
Although the attack was due to take place “seven weeks ago… Turkey stopped the rebels from launching this military offensive,” he added.
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SOURCE: www.france24.com
RELATED: Turkey calls for reconciliation between Syria government and opposition to end conflict
AP NEWS | Published December 3, 2024
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The recent rapid advance by opposition fighters in Syria shows that Syrian President Bashar Assad must reconcile with his own people and hold dialogue with the opposition, the Turkish foreign minister said Monday.
At a joint news conference in Ankara with his Iranian counterpart, Hakan Fidan said Turkey and Iran, which support opposing sides in Syria’s civil war, have agreed to resume diplomatic efforts along with Russia to restore calm days after insurgents launched a lightning offensive and captured almost all of the country’s largest city, Aleppo.
The swift advance by fighters that Turkey supports was a huge embarrassment for Assad and it comes at a time when his allies — Iran and groups it backs and Russia — are preoccupied with their own conflicts.
The push is among the rebels’ strongest in years and raises the prospect of another violent front reopening in the Middle East when U.S.-backed Israel is fighting Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, both Iranian-allied groups.
Fidan, whose country has backed forces opposed to Assad, blamed the recent flare-up of the conflict on the Syrian government’s refusal to enter a dialogue with the opposition that Turkey supports.
“Recent developments show once again that Damascus must reconcile with its own people and the legitimate opposition,” the Turkish minister said. “Turkey is ready to make all the necessary contribution toward this.”
Fidan’s comments emerged amid Turkish frustration that recent efforts toward a reconciliation with Assad have fallen flat. The comments indicated that the shock offensive launched by opposition fighters could be aimed at pressuring the Syrian leader to engage in political talks.
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SOURCE: www.apnews.com
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