However, Russia plans to maintain its influence in the region. This is precisely why the Kremlin initiated the rapprochement between Ankara and Damascus.
Russia began to withdraw from Syria some of its union and intends to transfer its contingent there to Ukraine. However, the Kremlin still hopes to maintain its influence in the region and that is why it initiated negotiations between Ankara and Damascus. This was reported by the Reuters agency after communicating with a representative of the Turkish special services.
According to Reuters, the Russian Federation has already begun withdrawing separate military units from Syria and plans to send them to Ukraine in the future. At the same time, the Kremlin is promoting the normalization of relations between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. In this way, the Kremlin hopes to find a “political solution” to the conflict in Syria and be able to continue the war in Ukraine.
Read also: Ukraine breaks diplomatic relations with Syria
“Russia wants Syria and Turkey to overcome their problems and reach certain agreements for the benefit of both Turkey and Syria,” said a high-ranking Turkish official on condition of anonymity.
But there is one concern about this. – it is possible that Erdogan may want to involve the Syrian opposition in the negotiations, which is unacceptable to Assad.
It is also important that Turkey and Russia fear the strengthening of Iranian influence in Syria against the background of the reduction or complete withdrawal of the Russian contingent from the region. Today, Russia has already withdrawn its forces from the territories bordering Israel, and these positions were immediately occupied by pro-Iranian forces.
Read also: Monster Assad won: Syria poisoned the Middle East for years to come – The Economist
The civil war in Syria broke out in 2011. In 2015, Russia supported President Bashar al-Assad and sent its troops into the country to suppress the opposition. In February 2022, Assad supported a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and later recognized the quasi-republic in Donbas. Immediately after that, Ukraine severed diplomatic relations with Syria. In 2011, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan supported revolutionary movements in Tunisia, Egypt and Syria. He called Assad himself a terrorist. But in recent months, Erdogan has dramatically changed his rhetoric regarding Syria.
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