It is necessary to understand what Turkey has been doing in Syria. The AKP government is now carrying out propaganda in Turkey about establishing a Kurdish-Turkish brotherhood and ending the conflict. But in Syria, it is engaged in the opposite. If there is to be a Kurdish-Turkish brotherhood, it must include all Kurds. Brotherhood with Kurds in Turkey cannot mean hostility toward Kurds in Syria. Imposing destruction on the Kurds in Syria and throwing them into the arms of a massacre would also call into question its rhetoric at home. In particular, Turkish intellectuals and democratic forces must question what is happening in Syria.
The CHP and other opposition parties are silent on Syria. Either they are not following and are uninterested, or they are complicit in the hostility against the Kurds. Yet what happens there directly concerns Turkey and its democracy. Would it be better for Turkey to be neighbors with a democratic Syria, or with one dominated by HTS, which shares the mindset of al-Qaeda and ISIS? This is not a simple question—it concerns Turkey’s future. At present, Turkey has invested entirely in HTS. Despite HTS committing massacres against Alawites and Druze, it receives no criticism from Turkey. Erdoğan openly declares his unconditional support for A. Shara.
The democratic demands and quest for freedom of the peoples of Syria are ignored by Turkey. These peoples suffered greatly under the Ba’ath regime. Millions have been displaced, hundreds of thousands have lost their lives. What remains is a devastated country and a people struggling to survive in poverty. When the Ba’ath fell, there was an expectation that the people could breathe and see a better day, but they were confronted with something even worse. The system HTS is trying to establish will undoubtedly make people long for the Ba’ath. All the signs of this are already evident. Instead of achieving national unity and forming an inclusive government, HTS formed a government limited only to itself. To secure its dominance, it signed off on massacres of Alawites and Druze.
Turkey is working hard to make this regime dominant, especially by leaving the Kurds unorganized and defenseless. Because at present in Syria, in the North and East, there is a democratic administration. The peoples there have managed to live together in peace. All peoples, faiths, and cultures freely maintain their existence. Turkey has made it its mission to eliminate this model. It is pressing for the Autonomous Administration to be dismantled and for the SDF to be disbanded. Above all, it insists that the Kurds must have no identity or status.
Turkey has carried out invasions, cleared the occupied areas of Kurds, continually bombarded the region, unleashed gangs on the people, and tried to destroy the economy and destabilize the area. It pressured the Coalition to cut ties with the SDF. In short, it did everything it could to eliminate the autonomous region. Yet it failed to completely collapse and scatter it as it wished. Nevertheless, it has not abandoned this goal, continuing to use all means and opportunities available.
Now the US, France, and the UK have decided to participate in talks between the Damascus government and the autonomous region. Turkey does not want this. It does not benefit from influential powers acting as mediators. There may be no chance to derail a possible agreement. These powers could act as guarantors of an agreement. For this reason, Turkey is trying to block the talks or stall an agreement through HTS. Through initiatives with HTS, it managed to postpone the meeting that was to take place in Paris on July 25. But it has been confirmed that the meeting will be held, apparently in the middle of this month. In response, Turkey has stepped up efforts to create unrest in the region. Turkish ministers have made successive trips to Syria. Turkish officials have increased their threats against the SDF and the Autonomous Administration.
When Turkey could not find enough arguments to discredit the Autonomous Administration, it accelerated its efforts to organize tribes with HTS to create instability. Just as they did with the Druze, they plan to provoke and spread propaganda that tribes are rebelling against the SDF. Why should the tribes rebel? Is there such an environment or need? No. This is purely an attempt by Turkey and HTS to stir things up and disrupt stability.
At the same time, Turkey is trying to bring Russia into play to balance against the US and Israel. The force that organized and facilitated HTS’s Moscow meeting was also Turkey. Having failed to get the desired results from the US and Israel, it has concerns and is trying to play the Russia card in response. They know Russia wants to remain in Syria. They told Russia: ‘Fine, you can stay, but side with HTS against the Kurds, and we will agree to sign whatever deals you want.’
If we look closely, we can see that they have adopted the strategy of using all contradictions and balances against the Kurds, and they persist in it. The people of Turkey and the Kurdish people should constantly ask themselves: Why does Turkey prefer HTS over the Kurds? What is HTS to Turkey? Does an alliance with HTS against the Kurds fit with Turkish-Kurdish brotherhood?
Source: Yeni Özgür Politika