Turkey, Russia, Iran for lasting ceasefire in Syria
WANING WESTERN INFLUENCE Erdogan, Putin and Rouhani looking to take advantage
ANKARA: The presidents of Iran, Turkey and Russia vowed to work for a lasting ceasefire after over seven years of civil war in Syria, following a summit aimed at boosting both peace prospects and also their influence in the country.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iran’s Hassan Rouhani and Russia’s Vladimir Putin reaffirmed their commitment to cooperating for “the achievement of a lasting ceasefire between the conflicting parties”, a joint communique said.
The meeting in Ankara was the second such tripartite summit after the first hosted by Putin in November in the Black Sea city of Sochi, in a new symbol of an increasingly deep cooperation.
However there was no major breakthrough announced after the summit meeting, and comments by the trio indicated possible tensions in what analysts see as a potentially brittle alliance.
The three powers have backed peace talks in the Kazakh capital Astana, which they argue are a parallel process to Un-supported discussions in Geneva.
Erdogan insisted their meetings and the Astana talks were not an “alternative” to the Geneva process to find peace in Syria. But the three presidents said that so far, “the Astana format had been the only effective international initiative that had helped reduce violence across Syria and had contributed to peace and stability”.
Experts say that Ankara, Moscow and Tehran are looking to take advantage of the waning Western influence in Syria and reluctance to commit militarily.
Unlike the West, the three countries have deployed significant military resources in Syria, with Tehran having a strong ground presence and Moscow ruling the skies.
Turkey meanwhile drove out Kurdish militia from Afrin city on March 18, two months after it launched an offensive in northern Syria supporting Syrian rebels. Ankara has indicated Turkey could extend its operation to the Kurdish-held town of Manbij and further east, as well as the northern town of Tal Rifaat.
So far the three powers -whose imperial predecessor states spent much of the last centuries at war -- have managed to keep a lid on their differences on Syria.
While Moscow and Tehran support the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-assad politi- cally and militarily, Turkey has repeatedly called for his removal and supported Syrian opposition fighters. But experts say disputes between Moscow and Ankara could come to the fore when the regime turns its attention to Idlib province. Idlib’s civilian infrastructure is largely controlled by the jihadist alliance Hayat Tahrir al-sham, led by Syria’s former al-qaeda affiliate.
Tensions may also be emerging between Russia and Iran, with Moscow much more concerned to press for reform under Assad than Tehran.