The leader of Turkey’s Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Devlet Bahçeli, together with his ally, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has called for military cooperation with Damascus against PKK members.
In his address to the party’s bloc in parliament on Wednesday, Bahçeli stated, “The Republic of Turkey should not resort solely to diplomatic methods in dealing with the areas occupied and invaded by the terrorist organization. Instead, we should seek mutual agreement and reconciliation with the Syrian administration. I urge Turkey and Syria to conduct coordinated military operations targeting the separatist terrorist organization at its roots and in the marshy areas where it thrives,” as reported by a Turkish newspaper.
Bahçeli also highlighted concerns about the United States’ intentions, stating, “The United States is orchestrating a new scheme in northern Syria, evidenced by the upcoming so-called regional elections in northeastern Syria scheduled for June 11. This signals a new phase in Turkey’s division.”
“It’s evident that the United States deems dialogue with terrorists strategically important, particularly in the region referred to by the separatist organization as Rojava. Turkey must collaborate with the Syrian administration to prevent the terrorist organization from encroaching further,” he emphasized.
Bahçeli’s statement comes amidst a standstill in Syrian-Turkish reconciliation efforts, following several meetings between the two countries ministers and intelligence services with Russian and Iranian mediation. On March 3, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated that “conditions are not conducive to normalization with Damascus,” following discussions with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, during the Antalya Diplomatic Forum, according to Asharq al-Awsat.
The day prior to Fidan’s remarks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed Russia’s interest in normalizing relations between Syria and Turkey. However, practical steps are currently hindered due to the war in the Gaza Strip and other Palestinian territories, which directly impacts all parties involved in the process, as reported by the Russian agency Novosti.
Kurdish officials have voiced apprehensions regarding potential military coordination between Damascus and Ankara, especially following the Astana 20 talks. The talks concluded with a final statement emphasizing “coordination between the defence ministries of Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Russia.” Badran Jia Kurd, the head of the Department of Foreign Relations in the Autonomous Administration, warned in an interview with Asharq al-Awsat that the outcomes of the recent Astana meetings pose a significant risk. He stated, “This poses a threat to the de-escalation zones in Syria, as it entails activating military, security, and intelligence cooperation between Ankara and Damascus.”
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
