Turkey’s normalization with Syria aims to control more lands – SDC
RAQQA, Syria (North Press) – Turkey’s calls for normalization with the Syrian government aims to take control over other areas in the Syrian north, co-chair of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), Riyad Dirar, said on Saturday.
International media outlets circulated news that Turkish intelligence chief paid several visits to the Syrian capital, Damascus, and met his Syrian counterpart Ali Mamlouk, paving the way for higher level sessions.
These visits came on the back drop of a series of meetings between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, according to the outlets.
In an interview with North Press, Dirar did not rule out that the Turkish-Syrian rapprochement would be invested against the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), adding, “The region may face more pressure.”
The areas in northeastern Syria go ahead in building their own capacities, waiting for current shifts on the Syrian arena; however, they support any step that leads Syria towards the political solution, according to Dirar.
On August 11, Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mevlut Cavusoglu, called for reconciliation between the Syrian government and the opposition, a call that was seen as a Turkish shift and change in policy towards Syria.
On August 20, Hassan Kocher, deputy co-chair of the Executive Council of the AANES, said, “The recent agreement between Turkey and Syrian regime will deepen the Syrian crisis … and it will lead to divide Syria.”
“The rapprochement intends to strike the AANES,” Kocher added.
Dirar went further saying that the Syrian government waits for practical and public steps in its meetings with Turkey, revealing, “The meetings between the two parties happened and are happening, but the Syrian government shows some unwillingness as a kind of pampering.”
The SDC co-chair noted that the ongoing meetings are possibly discussing future role of the Syrian opposition and ministerial or administrative positions that would be assigned to it, and this is a part of the current dialogue of the intelligence services.
Normalization between Turkey and Syria will be prolonged, and it needs more time and dialogues; however, all parties imply strong interest for reaching understandings, according to Dirar.