Critical military talks between Turkey and the United States appear to have delayed an imminent Turkish military operation against Syrian Kurdish groups east of the Euphrates. The talks, held in the first week of August, have produced major gains for Ankara: new measures to meet Turkey's security concerns; establishment of a joint mechanism with the United States on Turkish needs; and US assurance to form a “peace corridor.”
Washington is satisfied to have prevented a unilateral military move by Ankara and to know that, despite mishaps, Turkey is still determined to maintain its cooperation with the United States.
It's a diplomatic success for Washington to have prevented a unilateral move east of the Euphrates. For the past year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has insisted that a Turkish operation could be launched at any moment. How did the United States get Ankara to agree while Erdogan voiced such threats? Deniz Zeyrek, a veteran defense correspondent, cited information provided by diplomats and pointed to the role of Defense Minister Hulusi Akar in the affair. One such diplomat told Zeyrek that Akar “managed the negotiations with a cool head.” The diplomat stated that Akar “assumed the role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He softened reactions of Ankara and prevented the process from becoming a military crisis with the US.”
Ankara’s main success was to secure the marginalization, if not total elimination, of the military capabilities of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG). Furthermore, it succeeded in denying the Kurds military access to the Turkish border. Ankara did all this without resorting to a risky and expensive military adventure, and all with the cooperation of the United States. In Ankara, even in the ranks of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), a sizable group believes this joint operation with the United States is too vague, open-ended, and against Turkish interests. They believe that the United States will eventually force Turkey to recognize the de facto legitimacy of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Both President Erdogan and Akar have firmly stated their support for cooperation with the United States.
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