Turkey joins USA to split Syria

Turkey's President Recep Erdogan accepted Barack Obama's proposal about joint US-Turkish efforts to liberate Syria's Raqqa from Islamic State terrorists (the organization is banned in Russia). What does this news change in Syria? Are the US and Turkey trying to create an enclave under the leadership of the opposition? Pravda.Ru asked these questions to Director of the Center for the Middle East and Central Asia, Semyon Bagdasarov.

"If Turkey and the USA take Raqqa without the participation of the Kurds in the operation, it will be a no ordinary situation that may eventually lead to violent clashes between the Kurdish self-defense forces and the Turkish army. We are witnessing the efforts to split Syria. In addition, it does not go about the Turkish-Syrian borderline - it goes about the inland territory of Syria. The Syrian army will have to interfere," Semyon Bagdasarov said in an interview with Pravda.Ru.

"It is not only the Kurds, but Arabs too, who dislike the Turks. In general, these efforts may trigger a large-scale war there that will only make everything worse," the expert added.

When asked whether the above-mentioned efforts could be part of the plan to split Syria, Semyon Bagdasarov said that the plan is being implemented already. "

A Pravda.Ru correspondent asked the expert why Turkish President Erdogan accepted the proposal in light of the recent events in Turkey.

"Why not accept? Erdogan has decided that it does not make any sense to continue supporting the Islamic State. He pragmatically decided to take Raqqa in cooperation with the Americans to subsequently create a structure there that would be loyal both to the USA and Turkey. Finally, it makes him look like a fighter against the Islamic State, but at the same time, he reserves the opportunity to control other radical groups and suppress the Kurdish national liberation movement. Everything has been schemed out correctly," Semyon Bagdasarov told Pravda.Ru.

Pravda.Ru