Turkey, Russia both claim win in Syria agreement
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seems to get what he wants regarding the Kurdish People's Protection Units, and Russia appears to gain yet more influence in Syria; has Idlib become a pawn in Turkish-Russian negotiations?
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced what he termed “a historic agreement” with Russia today after six hours of talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
“Together with Mr. Putin, we have signed an historic agreement that secures the fight against terrorism, the territorial integrity of Syria and the return of refugees,” a tired yet triumphant Erdogan said at a joint news conference with the Russian leader.
The 10-point memorandum marks a formal end to the joint US-Kurdish condominium in northeastern Syria and the resumption of Syrian regime control for almost the full length of the border in what is being billed as a safe zone. More broadly, it cements Russia’s role as the main power broker in Syria, with all the attendant burdens.
Turkey viewed itself as the day’s biggest victor, with #TurkeyWon top trending on Twitter. Erdogan’s top communications man, Fahrettin Altun, summed up feelings in a series of tweets. “The separatist terrorist organization’s project to build a statelet has been relegated to history.”
