ArmInfo. The situation in Idlib is very tense now and may worsen even more. Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia, Turkologist Ruben Safrastyan stated this at a press conference.
He noted that Russian aviation no longer provides support to the Syrian forces, and therefore Turkey went on the offensive. "I think that such an uncertain situation will continue for several more days. Until the meeting of the Presidents of Russia and Turkey Vladimir Putin and Recep Erdogan on March 5, the parties will not take active steps in Syria," the Turkologist said.
According to the expert, it was during the meeting of the leaders of the two countries that the situation will finally become clear. "Syria has become a country where Russia and Turkey are fighting for supremacy in the region, trying to strengthen their positions. In 2015, when Turkey shot down a Russian plane, relations between the two countries grew tense, however, later, amid common interests, the parties were able to get out of crisis in relations. Thus, the countries became closer again in 2017-2018. Their common interest is that Moscow is interested in Ankara to weaken its interaction with the US and NATO as much as possible.
Turkey is also inclined to pursue its own policies in the Middle East and try to strengthen its influence in the region," Safrastyan said.
The Turkologist noted that Russia and Turkey, despite common interests, nevertheless continue to remain geopolitical opponents. "A clash of forces occurred in Idlib, as this is the only territory that the Syrian forces do not control. Turkey hopes that by taking control of this territory, it will be able to strengthen its position in the region and increase its influence on Syria. In turn, the Syrian leadership wants to free its own territories, and its position is supported by Moscow and Tehran, "he said.
Safrastyan emphasized that the negotiations between Putin and Erdogan will be very difficult, which was also announced by the press secretary of Russian President Dmitry Peskov. "Both of sides, of course, will try to reduce the passions and make some concessions. There are already prerequisites for this. They will show restraint, but at the same time, each of them is trying to maximize their positions in the upcoming talks," the expert noted.
The Turkologist noted that the agreement was actually violated, which was reached by the parties in Sochi in 2019. "According to these agreements, Ankara, which controlled these territories, was supposed to withdraw the terrorist groups that were there. However, Turkey did not do this, and the Syrian leadership itself is trying to free them. Ankara considered this a violation of the agreements in Sochi," the expert said.
Safrastyan said that after that, Turkey began to blackmail Europe with an influx of refugees. According to the expert, it is possible that among those who are sent there today, there are also specially trained "jihadists" who can play a role in Ankara's calculations.
The director of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the National Academy of Sciences emphasized that the concessions may be that Ankara will withdraw its troops from Syrian Idlib, in turn, after that, the formation of a joint buffer zone will begin there.
To note, on February 27 in the Syrian Idlib, as a result of the bombing of the Syrian government forces, 33 Turkish soldiers were killed, and there are numerous wounded.
In addition, media reported that Turkey, in response to the aggravation of the situation in Idlib, was considering the possibility of blocking the Bosphorus and Dardanelles for the passage of warships, but on Saturday missed a large landing ship (BDK) of the Black Sea Fleet "Orsk" into the Mediterranean Sea .