Turkey, Russia and Iran cement friendship with Syria talks

Turkey and Russian Federation have put aside their traditional rivalries and differences on regional issues to forge closer ties. “They’re going to have to pay more”, Trump said.

Trump has said maintaining a strong personal relationship with Putin is in the US interest and has signalled to allies that he trusts his own instincts in dealing with the Russian president.

Russian Federation and Turkey — along with Iran — are also working together to create “de-escalation zones” to reduce the fighting in Syria and bring the sides of the conflict together to negotiate Syria’s future. Russian Federation and Iran are Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s strongest backers, while Turkey supports anti-Assad insurgents.

“One day they say they want to pull out of Syria”.

Yet relations between Ankara and Moscow are never plain sailing and Turkey has been bitterly critical of the assault by Moscow’s ally Assad on rebel-held Eastern Ghouta.

Turkey points out that North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies did not pressure Greece to drop its S-300 purchase in previous year, though that deal came under during a much less antagonistic period in the West’s relations with Russian Federation.

Erdogan, in his turn, stated that “we all know who benefits” from terrorism and separatist activities in Syria. Or to help organize and fund a reconstruction effort in Syria once the conflict finally ends.

Turkey and Russian Federation have forged burgeoning ties in recent months on a number of areas including energy as well as the Syrian crisis, despite differences on key policy areas. Gen. Andrew Croft said there was little chance that deal would go through.

Erdogan and Putin met eight times past year and regularly speak on the phone.

In the press conference, Putin also also expressed hope that a meeting of the world’s chemical weapons watchdog would put a “full stop” to the issue of an ex-spy whose poisoning in Britain has been blamed on Moscow.

“That is the opposition’s recent losses and Turkey’s role in northern Syria”.

“Nobody in the West believes that the Astana Process will produce a lasting result, so it will have to go back to the United Nations tables in Geneva, and to have a fruitful discussion there you need a solid, consistent position from the USA and a solid position from the U.S”.

Turkish President Recep Tayyib Erdogan has indicated Turkey could extend its operation to the YPG-held town of Manbij as well as Ayn Al-Arab (Kobane) and Qamishli, all east of Afrin.

“That would be immensely complicated”, he said. “To these nations, especially Iran and Turkey, who have direct political interests in the conflict, it would be unclear to them what value the United States would have in any talks given the unreliability of any USA position under the Trump administration”. But that poses risks for Moscow.

The latest sanctions followed on the State Department’s action in October against more than three dozen Russian companies, including missile manufacturer Almaz-Antey, maker of the S-400.