Syrian politician; Erdogan is deceitful person, poses a threat to Syria

Discussions continue regarding efforts to bring Damascus and the Turkish-occupied state closer, amidst mixed reactions from both sides. While Turkey continues its efforts to make progress on this path, Damascus appears unenthusiastic. The newspaper Turkey, which is close to the ruling Justice and Development Party, reported that Erdogan will meet with Bashar al-Assad during the month of August at the latest, noting that the meeting location may be near the Syrian coastal town of Kasab, at a border crossing between the two countries. This comes after Bashar al-Assad's recent visit to Russia, where he met with President Vladimir Putin. Putin warned of the dangers of escalating tensions in the Middle East region and the direct impact this would have on Syria, according to Russian media. 

The rapprochement between Damascus and Ankara is awaiting a complex maze of details.

 Syrian politician and head of the Syria First Party, Salman Shabib, spoke to ANHA's agency about this, saying: I do not believe that the path of normalization or rapprochement between Syria and Turkey has taken any serious steps so far. The lack of trust, mutual suspicions, and the complexity and difficulty of the pending files between them make the task of mediators, especially the Russian side, which is pressuring both sides and trying to resolve the differences between them, almost impossible. This has prompted them to start with small steps, especially in the economic and service aspects; such as opening some crossings and international roads. Even these, I expect, will not succeed completely, and with each step in this path, new mines and obstruction from both sides will appear, wasting time in the maze of details.

 Salman Shabib believed that the chances of success of this path are limited. This success is contingent upon the great influence of mediators on both sides, especially the Russian side, which has great economic relations and a network of common interests with the Turkish side. The Russian side also has a broad ability to pressure the Syrian side due to the special circumstances that Syria is going through.

Shabib addressed the obstacles to rapprochement efforts between the Damascus government and the Turkish occupation state, stating, these obstacles are numerous and diverse. The most significant are the conditions exchanged through Russia, during meetings at the security and political levels, and even through public statements. I cannot envision a scenario where both parties would agree to implement these conditions, even if they desired to. Some of them are simply unattainable given the current circumstances and data. For instance, the active American role on the ground could potentially undermine or at least impede any progress made on this path.

Erdogan's enthusiasm for rapprochement with Damascus: Innocent intentions or a hidden mine?

Regarding Turkey's goals in this, Shabib confirms that: Erdogan's real plan and goals are to establish normalization while legitimizing the Turkish occupation of Syrian land and continuing to work in imposing Turkification. So far, it seems clear that the Syrian leadership is aware of these dangerous goals, which contradict all the Astana statements that always emphasize the unity of Syrian land, statements that the Turks signed. However, his practices on the ground are completely far from that, and no sane person can understand that behind this Erdogan's enthusiasm are sincere or innocent intentions. I have spoken more than once in the media about the biggest mine that Erdogan is hiding in this enthusiasm, which is his real intention to push towards a military clash between the Syrian army and the SDF forces. This scenario would be disastrous, not only for the two parties, but also for the existence and entity of the Syrian state and the Syrian homeland, land and people. This necessitates greater awareness and wisdom on the part of both parties, and that they engage as quickly as possible in a continuous and real dialogue to resolve all existing problems. I do not believe that this is impossible if the dialogue is based on national calculations and aims to protect the interests of Syria and all Syrian people, ensuring the future of the Syrian homeland.

The Syrian politician focused on Turkish goals, stating: Turkey cannot abandon its declared and clear goals and ambitions in Syrian territory. I am certain that Erdogan will use any rapprochement with Syria to serve these ambitions and aggressive settlement goals and plans, aiming to repeat the scenario of annexing the Sanjak of Alexandretta. The strongest evidence of this is the ongoing Turkification of these areas, the displacement of their original inhabitants, and the recruitment of mercenary groups to settle there and establish entire cities with Qatari funding. Furthermore, these areas are being linked to the Turkish administration through infrastructure, institutions, administration, education, healthcare, and the economy. The Turkish narrative about its occupation of an area twice the size of Lebanon, encompassing Syrian cities, towns, and villages, being solely for the protection of its national security is a false claim. It confirms that Turkey's real goal is permanent occupation. I do not believe its ambitions are limited to these areas it currently occupies but extend to Aleppo and beyond.

Shabib asserted that, it is clear that there are moves to convene a new round of the Astana track, and this is not good news for the Syrian issue. This track has exhausted its purposes and mission, and its recent rounds have not yielded any new progress. Furthermore, attempting to revive this track, which cannot produce a real solution to the Syrian issue, means hindering or disrupting the essential tracks that can provide a real solution, ending the worsening Syrian tragedy and preserving the unity and sovereignty of the Syrian homeland. These include the Arab Initiative, UN Resolution 2,254, and the Geneva track.

 Salman Shabib remarked, any new round of Astana will merely be a repetition of its predecessors and will offer more illusions to the Syrian people. Additionally, even if the mediators succeed in holding a summit meeting between Erdogan and the Syrian president, I do not anticipate a serious breakthrough in the wall of relations between the two countries.

T/ Satt.

ANHA