Erdogan Expands Ambitions for “Safe Zone” in Northern Syria

A Syrian MP called Erdogan's plan "illegal", claiming that Russia, Iran, and China will stand next to Syria, according to al-Watan.

The Turkish president continues his aggressive games toward Syria, taking advantage of the current international instability caused by the war in Ukraine. He announced to the international community that his regime continues to seek the establishment of a 30 km-deep safe zone inside Syrian territory. There are preparations being made for a military operation under the pretext of responding to terrorism, which he created, financed, and protected with the help of his ally, America. 

Head of the Arab, Foreign and Expatriate Affairs Committee in the People’s Assembly, Boutros Marjana, said in a statement to Al-Watan that any talk about establishing a safe zone is inevitably illegal. The head of the Turkish regime seeks to exploit the military and political situation in the world according to his plans. He pointed out that the Turkish regime’s opposition to the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO is a new attempt to blackmail for gains, including partial gains related to the so-called safe zone in Syria. 

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Marjana stressed that the Turkish regime’s plans to annex and seize these areas will not be tolerated. The Syrian state, as well as the Syrian people, will not accept and will not allow these plans to pass. He said: “I doubt that the Syrian people will accept to be in Erdogan’s custody.” 

Marjana questioned the possibility of Erdogan getting any agreement that would allow him to pass his project because the issue of establishing a safe zone must be voted on in the Security Council. This area cannot be sacrificed, even if Erdogan proposed it. He added: “The Russian ally stands by Syria, just as the Iranian ally, and we do not forget China if we are talking about the political aspect of this matter. The Security Council cannot pass or approve such a project, and what is going on is nothing more than an attempt at blackmail.” 

Turkish writer Sarkis Kassarjian, in a similar statement to Al-Watan, said that the escalation of hate speech against Syrian refugees in Turkey reinforced Erdogan’s fears about losing votes in next year’s crucial elections, in conjunction with the suffocating economic crisis in Turkey, where the Turkish lira reached the threshold of 16 against the dollar. The president of the Turkish regime by reviving the “Safe Zone” project in northern Syria, is trying to suggest a solution to the problem of Syrian refugees in his country to reassure those who are dissatisfied with their presence and obtain the votes of Turkish nationalists. 

Kassarjian pointed out that what is worrying about the issue is the international conditions and pressures that Russia is going through as a result of its war in Ukraine, which is the guarantor of the ceasefire agreements in northern Syria on the side of the government. This comes in addition to Erdogan’s attempts to use the veto power in NATO as a card to negotiate with the United States for economic gains and political concessions in exchange for allowing Finland and Sweden to join the alliance –a Western demand that all the countries of the world’s largest military bloc adhere to, except Turkey. It is trying to turn it into an opportunity and exploit it to achieve the dream of a “safe zone”.

 

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.

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