New summit meeting in Sochi, on the edge of the Black Sea. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on Tuesday (October 22nd), traveled to Russia, an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, for talks with Vladimir Putin on the situation in northern Syria.
Despite a truce agreement with the United States to withdraw the Kurds, Turkey could resume its military offensive on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT, after a five-day break in the fighting, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
>> To read: "Truce in Syria: 'Putin's goal is to convince Erdogan not to expand his offensive in Syria'"
"The situation in the region is very serious," Vladimir Putin said at the beginning of his meeting with the Turkish president, calling for "finding a solution even to the most difficult questions".
Upon his arrival in Sochi, Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed hope that these talks constitute "a more solid opportunity for peace", while Ankara calls for the withdrawal of Kurdish fighters from northeastern Syria, including in areas under the regime's control. Syrian supported by Moscow.
At stake, the "complete recomposition of alliances in the Middle East"
According to Cyrille Bret, lecturer at Sciences Po and co-founder of the EurAsia blog, in the short term, the challenge of this meeting is to discuss the ceasefire negotiated between Ankara and Washington.
On the other hand, the issue "in the longer term, is the complete recomposition of alliances in the Middle East around Syria," he said on France 24, while "the interest of Moscow is to preserve its central position since its intervention in Syria, in 2015 ". For the teacher, Turkey is on its side "cavalier alone", a strategy "all the more dramatic that no more military, strategic and diplomatic force is opposed to it".
"On the other side, the Kurdish forces opposed to the government of Bashar al-Assad are now facing with it against the Turkish offensive in the north of the country," says Cyrille Bret.
Ankara ready to resume offensive
Following the announcement by Donald Trump of the US military withdrawal from the area, Ankara launched on October 9 an offensive against a Kurdish militia, allied with the West in the fight against the Islamic State group but described as "terrorist" by the Turkey.
Ankara suspended its offensive on Thursday, during a truce negotiated between Turks and Americans. But this break expires at 19:00 GMT on Tuesday and the Turkish government is ready to strike if the Kurdish forces have not withdrawn.
"If the promises made by the Americans are not respected, the operation will resume with greater determination," threatened Recep Tayyip Erdogan before leaving for Russia.
Called to the rescue by the Kurds, Syrian forces, accompanied by Russian military patrols, have taken over some areas under Kurdish control, thwarting Ankara's plans.
Turkish ambitions lowered
So far, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been demanding a 444-kilometer "safe zone" along its border with Syria, but after the return of the troops from Damascus to the north-east of Syria, Ankara had to revise its ambition to avoid any direct confrontation.
"Today, the forces of Damascus and the Ankara forces are within a few kilometers of each other in this band, which is a kind of buffer zone in which Turkey wants to settle the Syrian refugees present on its soil," commented Cyrille Bret.
To enlarge this area, Recep Tayyip Erdogan knows he will have to reach an agreement with Russia. "We will have the opportunity to discuss the (withdrawal) of the YPG from the areas where the regime is located," said the Turkish president. "We hope to deliver this region from the scourge of separatist terrorism through our cooperation with Russia."
The Turkish leader also said he would discuss with Vladimir Putin the situation in Idleb (north-west), a province controlled by rebels and jihadists and that the Syrian regime intends to resume.
With AFP and Reuters