The delay in the start of a new Turkish army military operation in northern Syria may be linked to Ankara's desire to resolve differences with Russia and the United States, which have expressed fears that Turkey's plans could worsen the situation in the region and provoke additional escalation, Sözcü newspaper reported on Wednesday. The situation in Syria and Turkey's new operation of the Turkish Armed Forces in the neighboring territory will be one of the important items on the agenda of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's talks in Ankara with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu on Wednesday, the newspaper noted.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on May 23 that he was preparing for an army operation in the Manbij and Tall Rifat areas in northern Syria to expand the 30-kilometer security zone created in 2019. On June 4, he announced that the Turkish army is starting to clear the region of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Self-Defense Forces, which Ankara considers terrorist organizations.
"Erdogan personally announced Turkey's fifth operation in Syria, but it has not yet begun. At the same time, Ankara has started a very active diplomatic traffic," the newspaper writes, noting that "the final goals of previous operations have not been achieved due to the objections of the US and Russia." "It seems Erdogan wants to convince the US and Russia, at least Russia, of its necessity before launching a new operation," Sözcü reports. The newspaper does not rule out that otherwise "the [Erdogan] administration may postpone the fifth operation [in Syria] under the pretext of various reasons."
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Tuesday that the Turkish army's operation in northern Syria will be launched at the right time and place, and it may not be limited to the Tall Rifat and Manbij areas.
According to military sources, about 50 thousand Turkish soldiers and fighters of the Syrian armed opposition supported by Turkey are to be involved in the operation. As a result of Turkey's earlier operations in northern Syria, a security zone between the cities of Azaz and Jarabulus north of Aleppo was created, Afrin was occupied, and the border areas east of the Euphrates River were taken under control.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Salih Altuntaş/Pixabay
Based on materials from TASS