Turkey Should Not Dismiss Russia, Iran Stance on Syria: Expert

Subscribe
Turkey should not overlook Russian and Iranian attitudes to the ongoing conflict in Syria when mapping out its own strategy toward the southern neighbor, the director of the Caucasus Strategic Research Center Kafkassam told RIA Novosti on Thursday.

MOSCOW, October 2 (RIA Novosti) - Turkey should not overlook Russian and Iranian attitudes to the ongoing conflict in Syria when mapping out its own strategy toward the southern neighbor, the director of the Caucasus Strategic Research Center Kafkassam told RIA Novosti on Thursday.

"When deciding on its strategy, Turkey should not ignore the position of Russia and Iran on the Syrian conflict," Hasan Oktay, who heads the Ankara-based think-tank, said.

In September, the United States announced the formation of an international coalition to combat the insurgents, extending airstrikes to Syria.

US air campaign prompted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to question the legality of the US airstrikes on the Syrian soil as the decision was taken without the formal approval and cooperation of Syrian government, despite the Syrian ambassador to Russia saying Damascus knew of the upcoming raids.

In 2013, the Russian top diplomat spent considerable time brokering a political solution of the Syrian crisis as Washington was making its case for the Syrian invasion. Fears are now that US President Barack Obama may use his anti-IS plan to put US boots on the ground and continue to arm anti-government rebels, whom he has dubbed as "moderate opposition," in a bid to overthrow President Bashar Assad.

Meanwhile, Iran has been largely excluded from all Western-mediated debates on the Syrian crisis. Russia has been critical of this decision, saying Tehran, a key regional player, must have a say in the matter.

In his speech to the United Nations last week, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani stressed that the airstrikes by the US and its allies in Syria are illegal and amount to an invasion. According to the Iranian leader, such actions could only be approved by the United Nations Security Council or by the Syrian government.

The Turkish parliament is currently debating the government's call for a military action on the Syrian and Iraqi soil as violent Islamic State insurgency has been making considerable gains, seizing dozens of villages in the Kurdish area of northern Syria on the border with Turkey.

The government in Ankara is seeking to get a year-long mandate for the use of armed forces in cross-border military operations, as well as to allow foreign troops to be stationed in Turkey.

Oktay reminded that the parliament in 2004 refused to allow US invasion of Iraq from the Turkish territory, much to surprise of Washington and its allies.

"But it looks like the parliament is set to give a go-ahead to the use of Turkish armed forces this time round," the pundit said, adding it should not allow foreign troops to stay in the country or use it as a transit hub.

According to the Kafkassam director, Turkey must focus on preventing the Syrian military crisis from spilling over.

Turkey has been wary of retaliation from Islamic State militants who are fighting Syrian Kurds, and has so far denied them any military help, despite taking on the challenge of achieving peace with its own Kurdish population in the south.

"Turkey must shed its fear of Syrian Kurds and concentrate on fending off Islamic State threat by backing the anti-IS operation," Hasan Oktay told RIA Novosti.

The United States has been trying to get Turkey involved in its anti-jihadist military campaign ever since the release of IS-held Turkish hostages in September. Ankara has been reluctant to take an active role in the US-led fight against IS insurgency in a bid to ascertain its freedom of decision-making.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала