Turkey at odds with US and Russia over northern Syria
As Ankara loses ground in Idlib, President Erdogan’s threat of military action east of the Euphrates raises the stakes for Turkey.
Turkey still faces an uphill battle in northern Syria. The situation west of the Euphrates remains uncertain and volatile despite the hopes invested in President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in Ankara Sept. 16.
There was no indication, however, that the meeting — which took place under what has come to be known as the “Astana process” — produced a breakthrough in Idlib.
The Astana process, which was launched in 2017, and the subsequent agreement between Erdogan and Putin in Sochi in September 2018 have failed to halt the regime’s Russian-backed advances in Idlib province.
Another influx of refugees from the region, and the possibility of jihadis entering Turkey as refugees are threats that await Turkey if Ankara and Moscow fail to agree on the future of Idlib.
