Turkey changes tactic not strategy in Syria – Kurdish leader
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – What is happening in northern Syria is a new tactic employed by Turkey to reconcile with Syrian government, said Aldar Khalil, member of co-presidency of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), said on Tuesday.
On October 13, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly al-Nusra Front) took full control over the Kurdish city of Afrin, north of Aleppo, without much resistance by controlling factions affiliated with Turkey. The move was a surprise one that bewildered all analysts and observers.
Notably, the takeover of predominant Kurdish region of Afrin by the HTS coincided with a regional meeting in the Kazakh capital Astana between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
In a statement made to Hawar News Agency (ANHA), Khalil said the move runs within the Turkish new tactic employed in areas under Turkish forces and the opposition factions known as Syrian National Army (SNA).
Khalil added that the strategy adopted by Turkey in Syria since a decade remains the same but what is changed is merely the tactic. “Turkey has always sought to serve its agendas in Syria,” he noted.
According to PYD leader, since the Islamic State Organization (ISIS) and the HTS have no legitimacy on the international arena, paving the way for the HTS to attack areas under SNA’s control could appease the Syrian government. This is a tactic employed by Erdogan, according to Khalil.
Regarding the Adana Agreement of 1998, Khalil said that could be revised to meet Turkish aspirations that go beyond 30 km in the region, saying “Damascus is in a position that cannot entitle it to reject Turkish aspirations.”
Responding to a question on the recent meeting in Astana between Putin and Erdogan, he indicated that both countries [Turkey and Russia] need each other desperately. However, in order for Russia to survive the economic depression and avert the dire consequences of the war in Ukraine, Turkey is vital to outer world. Turkey is exploiting these cases and using them in favor of its interests. “There are daily plans between the Russians and the Turks.”
“Both countries need each other for help. Syria could be a best place for holding bargains,” Khalil told Hawar in reference to the fact that Erdogan would endeavor to have his aspirations against the AANES and Kurds met.