In order to resolve the Idlib conflict new proposals should be made at the negotiating table, Turkish expert Hassan Selim Ozertem said in an interview with Vestnik Kavkaza.
"Since the beginning of February, Turkey has been strengthening its position in Syria. This is associated with the fact that forces of the Bashar al-Assad regime didn't stop the attack and didn't withdraw their troops beyond the observation points established by the Sochi agreements. This occasionally leads to skirmishes between the sides," political scientist noted.
According to him, the attack on the Turkish convoy which killed more than 30 troops is a tactical move by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against Turkey’s position that it will begin operation before the end of February if the regime’s forces don't leave the established conflict zone. The expert said that the Syrian leader decided to take the lead, so he chose this tactical step to prevent situation that he might have faced before the beginning of the Turkish military operation.
In addition, Ozertem expressed the view that Turkey is trying to bring this issue to the international level, creating conditions for obtaining Western support. According to him, statements “on the accumulation of refugees near the borders of Europe and the unwillingness to carry the burden of 4 million refugees” are connected with this.
Ozertem also noted that he doesn't agree with the opinion of experts who believe that when it comes to the Idlib issue Turkey has not fully appreciated the positions of Iran and Russia. "I don’t think so, otherwise Turkey wouldn't have sat down at the negotiation table with Russia and Iran within the framework of the Astana and Sochi formats," he said.
Speaking about the talks between the top officials of Turkey and Syria in Moscow, he pointed out that these meetings are very important, however, the success of these negotiations will depend on whether the parties are ready to take political steps, listen to each other's ideas.
