Russia's call for dialogue with Assad irritates Ankara
Pro-government Turkish analysts say Moscow’s call for dialogue between Ankara and Damascus over Afrin is an effort to sideline Turkish aims in Syria.
Cracks appeared again in the alliance of convenience between Turkey and Russia last week following Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's call on Ankara and Damascus to sort out their differences over Afrin through dialogue.
The call ruffled feathers in Ankara and prompted pro-government and independent Turkish analysts to once again question the extent to which Turkey can ultimately rely on Russian support in Syria.
Lavrov’s remarks came amid reports that pro-regime militias had entered Afrin in response to a call from the People's Protection Units (YPG), the group Ankara says is a Kurdish terrorist organization. Turkey launched its ongoing Operation Olive Branch Jan. 20 to expel the YPG from Afrin.
What angered Ankara most was Lavrov’s implication that Damascus is now party to the dispute between Turkey and the YPG in Afrin, adding a complicating and possibly obstructing dimension to the Turkish government’s plans for territories under its control in northern Syria.
