Turkish silence over Russian escalation in Idlib
ISTANBUL, Turkey (North Press )- Russia continues to apply pressure on Turkey through Idlib in northwestern Syria, confirming what the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, said during his recent visit to Damascus.
Lavrov said during his visit that Idlib is one of the most important issues for Russia, and Turkey must differentiate between the moderate and radical opposition groups.
Observers believe that Russia started putting its words into action by pressuring Turkey through escalation in Idlib and continuing its raids on several points there.
The Russian escalation continues despite ceasefires agreements with Turkey and the joint Russian-Turkish training exercise to combat the radical and terrorist groups on the M4 Highway.
Turkish political analyst Abdel Moneim Gul said, “Regarding the Russian-Turkish agreement, it is an invalid agreement, since the US isn’t satisfied with it and is against any Russian-Turkish understanding.”
Gul, who is resides in Istanbul, said, “There will not be any solution in Idlib unless the states concerned with Syrian affairs agree on a comprehensive solution to the political process.”
Russia and the Syrian government have stepped up their attacks on northwestern Syria since the beginning of August, as areas in the countryside of Idlib and Aleppo are under intense bombardment, in addition to attempts to infiltrate Zawiya Mountain.
An official in the Syrian opposition who preferred to remain anonymous told North Press that Idlib now is “an international focus point,” especially by the US.
“Russia is playing its role through pressuring Turkey by the Syrian government’s daily attacks,” Gul added.
Abu Obada al-Idlibi, an activist close to the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army, said that “the situation is relatively calm.”
“It is very possible that Russian and Turkish soldiers would undertake security operations targeting any danger to patrolling the M4 road,” al-Idlibi said.
Al-Idlibi said that the Russian announcement of the joint Russian-Turkish trainings “prevent Turkey from forming any clear position regarding what is happening.”
Russia recently stressed that it is insisting on implementing its agreements with Turkey regarding the Idlib region.
The Russian Foreign Minister indicated from Damascus that his country is seeking to secure the M4 Highway and create a safe zone along this road.
He said that even if these understandings were implemented slowly, “we will complete them successfully.”
Abdel Fatah Tahon, an expert on Russian affairs, told North Press that the joint patrols aren’t only to protect the north from the regime’s and Russian attack, but also to protect the regime from opposition attacks, and also to protect the area near the Russian air base in Hmeimim.
“The balance between Russia and Turkey in Syria depends on the understandings of the two countries and the common intentions behind stopping any direct military conflict between both of them,” Tahon added.
With regard to this stage, Tahon believes that any military development on the ground can be contained within Russian-Turkish relations.
Reporting by Serdar Hadia