The Russian military delegation has arrived in Ankara on March 5th, as the agreement reached in Moscow proposed. During the dialog between the two delegations in Ankara, the details of the joint patrol on the M4 highway and the security of the 12 km wide strip, was discussed.
After the attack on the Turkish forces in Idlib, Operation Spring Shield had initiated, and then President Erdogan and Russian President Putin had met in Moscow. A ceasefire was decided on during the meeting. Military and diplomatic contacts between Russia and Turkey are still on, in this direction.
We asked the experts what they expect from the Moscow Agreement.
‘A PROPER STEP BACK’
Maltepe University International Relations Faculty Member Professor Hasan Unal:
Unal has said that the agreement reached at the Erdogan-Putin summit in Moscow, was quite in Turkey’s favor. Unal noted that the Moscow Agreement is a proper step back of the government, saying “Because Turkey is the winning side with this”. Unal has spoken about the agreement:
First, a consensus has been made, taking the current situation on the field, into account. The M5 highway has not been discussed in the agreement. The articles stated in the agreement on the M4 highway are positive. This road was supposed to be opened back to traffic. The joint fight against groups that are accepted as terrorist by the UN has been stressed, which is quite important. Therefore, Ankara has not fallen into the trap of the US supplying ammunition to the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, through Turkey by removing it from the terrorist organizations list.
Another important point is the commitment to guarantee, that the displaced people in Syria to return to their residences. This is a sign that Turkey’s policies on Syria could change drastically. Because it is not possible to send back the refugees, without cooperating with the Syrian government.
‘WE SHOULD FOCUS ON COMMON INTERESTS’
The plots of the US and the West did not succeed. It was a good thing that Turkey did not receive the help and support it had sought from the United States and this has paved the way for the agreement. From now on it is time to, focus on the future, to normalize with Syria and to focus on our interests in a wide region from Libya to the Eastern Mediterranean, by improving our cooperation with Russia.
‘THE TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY OF SYRIA IS HIGHLIGHTED’
Professor Kemal Ucuncu, President of the Academy of Cultural Sciences, has made the following assessments on the Moscow Agreement:
The articles of the agreement, which was publicized as a result of the Moscow Summit, shows a very important perspective. As a final result, Syria’s territorial integrity was highlighted. A roadmap has been put forward for the fight against terrorism, for peace the stability of Syria and the whole region in general. In this respect, I find this summit quite positive. The greatest danger in the region, is the puppet state that lies along our border, under any name. Turkey, Russia and Iran need to focus on this danger.
‘PEACE AND STABILITY IN EURASIA’
The hopes of the United States, which wanted to drag Turkey into a dead end with the satellite states under the name of Neo-Ottomanism, have fallen into despair by the ceasefire. The Turkish people and the politicians should stand against this great trap together. The result of the solutions of religious, sectarian, ethnic and tribal-based medieval feudal structures, is a medieval climate eventually. The region would be dragged into an endless climate of conflict and instability. Israel and the United States would fill the void in the scenario of a disintegrated Syria. These should never be forgotten. A weak and unstable Turkey poses vital threats to Russia’s future. We can only balance our common interests in the Eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus and the Black Sea, against the opposite front, by staying together. The Overlapping Turkish-Russian Geopolitics in the 21st century is without an alternative, for the peace and stability in the Eurasia.
‘A TRAP AGAINST BOTH COUNTRIES’
Mehmet Perinçek Doctor of History, Political Scientist:
The United States has long been working on such a question: How can we get rid of Erdogan and vanquish Turkey with a minimum expenditure? Then they came to this conclusion: Let Putin do it, and then we will beat the last blow to Turkey.
There was such a trap against both Turkey and Russia. The United States wanted Russia to carry chestnuts out of the fire for them. But the leaders of both countries did not fall into this trap.
However, Turkish-Russian relations are not sabotaged only from outside but also from inside. There are internal forces in both Russia and Turkey who are sitting in wait and waiting for crises between the two countries. They are also very dangerous. Especially in the media. The last broadcast of the state television channel “Rossia 1” which was about the Turkish delegation and Sputnik International’s article about Hatay are just as harmful as the anti-propaganda of the CIA. In Turkey, we also meet with such anti-Russian provocative slogans. The United States is trying to deprive Moscow and Ankara of its allies. And these forces help only this goal of Washington.
Therefore, to stabilize Turkish-Russian cooperation, we must get rid of these harmful internal elements.