For more than a decade, the Turkish government has acted as a protective force for numerous opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The recently announced shift in Syrian policy, which could lead to a rapprochement between Ankara and the Syrian leadership, has caused great concern in the north and northwest of the civil war-torn country.
After a long diplomatic ice age, the defense ministers of Turkey and Syria met in Moscow a week ago to discuss ways to find a solution in the country’s civil war. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu also participated in the talks. On Thursday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan even spoke of a new peace process, in which he might also meet Assad, whom Erdogan had even described as a “murderer” in the past.
„No to atonement“ against the Assad regime
Thousands of people protested against such rapprochement in Idlib and Aleppo on Friday. With chants and banners, the demonstrators spoke out against reconciliation between the two governments. “I was deported and lost three of my children in the regime’s prisons,” one participant at a rally near Aleppo told the German news agency.
After nearly 12 years of civil war in Syria, Assad’s government forces have regained control of about two-thirds of the country. In addition to Russia, the ruler is also supported by Iran. Turkey occupies areas in northern Syria. Erdogan is under pressure in his own country because the mood in the country towards the Syrian refugees has deteriorated considerably. About 3.7 million Syrians live in Turkey. Ankara is eager to send people back to their homeland. According to the Turkish and Russian defense ministries, the refugees were also a problem in the trilateral negotiations in Moscow.
Source: Krone
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