Objectives and consequences of Turkish policy in Syria.
“We will come suddenly, maybe today, maybe tomorrow”
is part of the famous speech of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which he makes every time before the start of the operation on Syrian soil, and now Turkey has taken steps to carry out its fourth operation on Syrian soil. The steps have become more serious; The commanders of the Free Syrian Army have been summoned to Ankara to investigate the details of the operation.
In recent days, Turkish military convoys have been moving towards the Syrian border areas, with some sources reporting the deployment of more than 9,000 troops. On the other hand, the most important part of this operation will be the responsibility of the Free Syrian Army, and 35,000 of its members have announced their readiness to participate in this operation. “We need time to enter a new phase and be ready, and we are waiting for Ankara to announce the start of operations in the region,” said Youssef Hammoud, a spokesman for the Free Syrian Army.
But why does Turkey intend to carry out operations in Syria at this time? The first reason is that the situation of the Justice and Development Party is not good these days. The declining power of the ruling party began with the 2019 municipal elections. In this election, the AKP suffered a heavy defeat in the metropolises, especially in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. Achieved. Second, the devaluation of the Turkish lira and the unfavorable economic conditions of the country are driving Ankara’s policies towards early elections. As a result, the Erdogan government has been forced to consider a new operation in Syria in order to marginalize Turkey’s internal developments in public opinion. Even former Turkish Foreign Minister Yasar Yakish wrote in an article analyzing the reasons for the Turkish operation: “Erdogan’s government is launching an operation in Syria with the aim of prolonging its political life, and although this operation is in the interest of the current government, it will not pursue any national interests.”
Atonement for tensions with Syria
But tensions between Syria and Turkey have had many consequences and consequences for the Ankara government. The first case concerns the migration of more than four million Syrians to Turkey. Lack of proper refugee management has cost Turkey more than $ 50 million. On the other hand, according to some statistics, Turkey lost about $ 100 billion in economic opportunities from 2011 to 2020. It seems that the lack of cooperation between Ankara and Damascus has paved the way for the presence of various terrorist groups in Syria with the support of the United States, which is a great threat to the countries of the region and Turkey.
Conclusive remarks.
In view of the above; Finally, it is not without merit to say that the fight against terrorism is certainly the right thing to do, but not on the pretext that in the name of fighting terrorism, a country wants to bring its troops into another country within the framework of its demands.
If the fight against terrorism is an excuse to carry out some kind of plan to infiltrate another country’s territory and undermine the integrity of the incumbent government; It has questioned the legitimacy of its counter-terrorism efforts.
If Turkey intends to fight terrorism, it must respect the sovereignty of the government of Damascus and enter into negotiations and consensus with this government and continue to work with the Russian government to resolve the Syrian crisis; Because just as the security of Syria as a neighboring country depends on the security of Turkey; Turkey’s security also depends on Syria’s security.
