As Operation Peace Spring placed another territory in northern Syria under Turkish control, a crucial question under debate is whether Ankara could restore ties with Damascus on the basis of the 1998 Adana accord, referenced in the deal that Turkey agreed with Russia last week.
The Adana accord, which lay ground for security cooperation between Turkey and Syria, was first brought up by Russian President Vladimir Putin when he hosted his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Moscow in January. Putin’s original aim was to stave off Turkey’s plans to create a buffer zone with the United States to the east of the Euphrates River. Ultimately, Putin’s proposal to employ the Adana accord was enshrined as a commitment in the memorandum of understanding that he and Erdogan hammered out Oct. 22 in Sochi. According to the fourth point of the memorandum, “Both sides reaffirm the importance of the Adana Agreement. The Russian Federation will facilitate the implementation of the Adana Agreement in the current circumstances.” A broad interpretation of the Adana accord was used also as a legitimizing basis for joint Russian-Turkish patrols in the west and east of the area of Operation Peace Spring with a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles).
Yet, Erdogan’s perspective of the Adana accord seems to differ from that of Putin. While Putin brought it up in a bid to prevent a Turkish-US partnership, push back Turkey’s military presence to as close as five kilometers (three miles) from the border — it reaches 55 kilometers (34 miles) into the al-Bab area at present — and ultimately normalize ties between Ankara and Damascus, Erdogan has presented the deal as a document legitimizing Turkish military interventions in Syria. Moreover, Ankara argues that the Syrian regime has been failing to meet its obligations under the Adana accord and that intervention has become inevitable. Damascus, for its part, sees any Turkish military presence as invasion and occupation.
The parties’ intentions aside, the content and applicability of the Adana accord are rather contentious.
AL-MONITOR All-Access gives you unlimited access to all our journalism, the full Daily Briefing, exclusive interviews, premium newsletters, and live events — for less than $2/week.
