Yesterday Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaking at a meeting of his ruling party’s faction in the Turkish parliament, made new strong statements regarding the situation in Syria’s Idlib. The Turkish president effectively stated that the talks with Russia over the past few days on this issue had failed, and as a result he was ready to resolve it by force.
«Unfortunately, the negotiations in Turkey, Russia and on the ground have not achieved the desired results so far. Although Turkey continues the negotiation process on Syria, we are far from the set goal, and this is a fact… There are only a few days left for the forces of Bashar al-Assad’s regime to cease their aggressive actions and withdraw from the de-escalation zone defined in the Sochi Memorandum… We are determined to turn Idlib into a safe zone at all costs, both for Turkey and for the residents of the region… We have completed all the preparations. As in previous operations, we will start suddenly. To be more open, the operation in Idlib is a matter of time,» Erdogan said.
In turn, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Turkey’s operation in Idlib would be the «worst-case scenario,» suggesting that Russia is trying to prevent it by continuing consultations with Ankara.
Well, there is probably no point in commenting on Erdogan’s statements. They are quite clear promises that will either be fulfilled or remain empty words.