In the final document of the summit between the presidents of Russia, Turkey and Iran, the generic commitment to “combat terrorism in all its forms” is mentioned. During bilateral talks with Erdogan, Khamenei issued a harsh warning against Ankara’s intentions to create a “buffer zone” using the Kurds as a pretext. Meanwhile, the “war of friction” continues at the border.
Tehran ( / Agencies) – A generic commitment to “continue to work together to combat terrorism in all its forms” and reject “all attempts to create new realities on the ground, including illegitimate self-government initiatives”. There is no green light from Iran and Russia for Turkey’s military offensive against the Syrian Kurds. This is what emerges from the final communique of the Astana Group summit on Syria, which yesterday, in Tehran, convened Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, Russian Vladimir Putin and Turkish Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
At the bilateral meeting, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was even more categorical in addressing Turkey. Iran’s supreme leader warned that “any military intervention in Syria would threaten the region and benefit the terrorists,” hurting Turkey. It was a clear message to Erdogan, who in recent months has repeatedly expressed his intention to launch a vast new operation in northern Syria with the aim of creating a buffer zone. This 30-kilometer strip would aim to stop the incursions of the PKK Kurdish militias across the border. The truth is that Erdogan also wants to implement it for internal political reasons, ahead of next year’s presidential elections. However, it is presumed that for the Syrian government of President Bashar al Assad -politically supported by Tehran and Moscow- it is a flagrant violation of its territorial integrity.
Two years after the last (virtual) meeting of 2020, the final document of the summit focuses solely on what unites the partners of the Astana group: the search for a solution to ease tensions in the Idlib area, the opposition to autonomous oil exports from areas controlled by the Syrian Kurds with the support of Washington and the condemnation of Israeli air strikes. On the other hand, it is hoped that within the framework of the Syrian National Dialogue, the Committee on the Constitution can continue working on the definition of a government structure for the country, “without foreign interference or imposed deadlines.” Although it is not clear where to continue either, since for Moscow Geneva has ceased to be a neutral forum for debate, in light of the events in the war in Ukraine.
On the other hand, in Tehran a date was set for a new tripartite summit of the Astana Group. It should be held in Russia at the end of 2022 and, obviously – as has happened in Tehran in recent hours – it cannot fail to be intertwined with the evolution of the panorama of alliances in the war being waged in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the war of friction on the border between Turkey and Syria continues. While the summit was taking place in Tehran, in just 24 hours there were two Turkish drone attacks on Syrian army positions in Tal Rifat. According to reports from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH), there were two wounded among the Syrian military. A meeting between Syrian Kurdish militia (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi and General Michael Kurilla, commander of US operations in the Middle East, was also reported today. Abdi expressed concern about security in the region in the face of Turkish threats, especially the negative impact these could have on efforts to fight ISIS, which is trying to reorganize. For his part, General Kurilla reiterated the opposition of the United States to any Turkish operation against northern and eastern Syria.
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