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Erdogan turns to oil in a bid to salvage Syria policy

Turkey’s president eyes oil-related bargains in Syria after failing to achieve his stated objectives in Idlib and acquiescing to a new deal with Russia in the rebel stronghold.
Oil pumpjacks are seen at the Rumeilan oilfield, Qamishli province December 11, 2013. Picture taken December 11, 2013.  To match Special Report SYRIA-KURDISTAN/    REUTERS/Rodi Said   (SYRIA - Tags: ENERGY POLITICS CIVIL UNREST BUSINESS COMMODITIES) - GM1EA1M1LFR01
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Fresh from a fruitless military intervention in Idlib, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has pitched a proposal to Moscow to strip the Syrian Kurds of oil revenues and use the money to finance Turkish construction projects in Syria. 

At his March 5 meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Erdogan agreed to a deal that preserves the Syrian army’s gains in Idlib since January and calls for a security corridor stretching to a depth of 6 kilometers (about 4 miles) on either side of the key M4 highway. He has since revealed some intriguing details about his talks in Moscow.

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