NATO uncomfortable about ceding to Erdogan
Ankara accuses its allies of reluctance to getting their heads around its stance and letting the military operation in Syria run its course
"A number of Turkish-friendly democratic states have once again choked off our fight against terrorism for fear of a new operation," Turkish presidential spokesman Ömer Çelik said following a recent central council meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party in Ankara.
The Turkish President lambasted the "friendly" nations of the Middle East, Europe, NATO and international organizations for both keeping aloof from the fight against terrorism and preventing the Turks from counteracting the outlawed Kurdish People's Protection Units.
The Turkish leadership is particularly irritated by stances taken by Russia and the United States. Recep Erdogan refers to Moscow’s uncomplying attitude and expanded military presence in the alleged zone of a "special" military operation in Aleppo Governorate’s north-eastern part. At the Syria conference of guarantor states in Kazakhstan’s Nursultan capital city engaging Russia, Turkey, Iran, Syria and the military wing of the Syrian opposition, Russian special presidential envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentyev said "Russia is not going to turn a blind eye to Turkey's new military operation in northern Syria in exchange for Ankara's position on Finland and Sweden joining NATO."
Recep Erdogan yet again criticized the US administration that deems the Kurdish armed formations its loyal ally in combating ISIS (international terrorist group banned in Russia) and keeps equipping People's Protection Units with cutting-edge weapons, military equipment and materiel.
Notably, the Kurdish political leadership has made good progress in its international outreach activities to accuse Turkey of belligerent aspirations in Syria and neighboring Iraq. The issue has been often brought up by the UN both in New York and across Western Europe.
An EU spokesman said the Turkish border security issue should have a political, non-military solution. The Turkish leadership’s intentions to accommodate several hundred thousand Syrian refugees in the territory liberated from the Kurds is a non-starter because of difficulties in ensuring safety and stability of the region, as well as curing social ills. The official is sure Turkey will have to take the cue from Russia, with its troops reportedly unsparing of peaceful cities and civilian population in Ukraine.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy Marina Sereni believes that Turkey's new operation will weaken the anti-ISIS fight in Syria on Russia’s pattern, whose military operation in Ukraine forced it to moderate its counterterrorism efforts in Idlib.
Moreover, Erdogan is restrained by the entire Arab world’s backlash, as they oppose the Turkish-planned military operation and those ongoing in the north of Iraqi Kurdistan. The Arab leaders make it clear that the last 20-30 years haven’t seen any lasting peace as a result of Ankara’s operations that only militarized areas adjacent to the Turkish border and rallied the Kurds against the Turks. Seeking to neutralize another bunch of armed formations, Turkey time and again needs to expand its military potential up to massively employing combat aircraft, heavy artillery and special forces. Personnel casualties will inevitably increase.
Member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) are also unanimously critical of Turkey's plans and urge its leaders to get a dialogue under way with both the Kurds and the Syrian government to solve the existing security problems.
Leading political analysts of the region say Recep Erdogan may take his time to launch an offensive. He is eager to enlist leading European NATO countries’ tacit support at the Madrid summit later this month. Even if he fails, the Turks, guided by the need to face domestic challenges, will open hostilities against the Syrian Kurds anyway.
