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Tuesday 16 August 2011 - 07:04

The significance of the Turkish position on the events in Syria

By: Mohammed Abou Shawish
Story Code : 92247
The significance of the Turkish position on the events in Syria
He added that the situation in Syria is a Turkish internal issue, and that “the people in Syria are our people, and we have common borders more than 850 kilometers. Thus, Turkey’s patience with Syria is running out”.

This escalating tone came after a period of remarkable calm in the position of Ankara on the events taking place in Syria. Yet, some of those who are watching the reaction of Turkey consider that it is crucial in the course of the events taking place in Syria.

Some of the observers understood this tone as a veiled threat to Syria, and that it will lead to considerable tension in relations between the neighbors who share too deep historical relations and ties that could not be easily overcome. However, a lot of the people following the events have questioned the reasons and motives of this escalating tone at this sensitive time that Syria and the region as a whole is passing through. Thus, is there any regional and international motivates to bring those statements back to the fore? Is there a new Turkish stance in light of the regional variables?

Many similar questions popped into the minds before the visit of the Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoglu to Damascus, which took place on Tuesday (08/09/2011). In fact, this visit came with the answers and probably through the answer of Damascus, which was carried by Oglu to Ankara. Syria’s answer was that (Syria will disallow not prosecuting the terrorist groups). Perhaps, some believe that this is not everything the two neighbors have, for the regional weigh and the strategic location of each impose different backgrounds on the developments of the region. Perhaps also it is too early to predict what will happen between Syria and Turkey in the coming days, however, we must take into account a number of considerations, reasons, and backgrounds that have occurred in the Turkish position. Particularly, this escalating tone did not come but only after the American administration stated that it is necessary that the Arab and regional States take a stronger position on the events in Syria, not to mention the persistent attempts of the Western countries particularly the United States, Britain, France and Germany to put pressure on the UN Security Council to take a tough position on Syria.

This also coincided with a Gulf announcement that expresses regret at what is happening in Syria and the issuance of the statement of the GCC countries in this regard, amid talking about efforts to issue a similar statement by the League of Arab States.

Likely, Turkey is reading these considerations from the perspective of the regional variables. In other words, Ankara believes that there is a change going to happen regionally and internationally regarding Damascus and that is why it started to move again based on this vision as a regional state that owns the powerful reasons that enable it to perform a regional role in the region. Turkey is also a member of NATO, and thus its tone would not exceed the general framework of the Western Atlantic policy.

In theory, the region seems to be waiting for what is coming i.e. the regional and international changes. In light of this general climate, there is a disjunction between the regional variables and the new Turkish escalation. Yet, Damascus responded to this escalation clearly by stressing that it would disallow not prosecuting the terrorist groups, and this was preceded by a prior message when it stated that Oglu will hear more decisive words if he came to deliver a firm message to the Syrian leadership, as declared by Erdogan.

Hence, are we going really to witness a new Turkish transformation in the near future that might make it closer to Damascus, especially after it clearly saw that the policy of dictating Syria is nothing but a failure? Or, the Turkish position did not yet exceed the framework of the political and diplomatic pressure? These questions are to be answered in the coming days, which were described by the Foreign Minister of Turkey as difficult ones.
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