The East is a delicate matter, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan seems to have believed that in the Turkey-USA-Russia triangle he is the real East, and the other two sides cannot be compared with it in subtleties.
Judging by the results of his visit to Moscow, these were the very thoughts that reigned in the head of the Turkish leader. How else could it be? After all, following the traditions of world diplomacy, three days before the visit, Russia stopped military operations in Syria. Etiquette though! The Turkish army and its henchmen in Idlib received a respite.
And Erodogan decided that the moment had come to forge iron on the spot. Need to appease a stubborn Russian client. In accordance with the traditions of the East, offerings were used. In the form of intentions to additionally buy S-400 air defense systems, build new nuclear power plants, start cooperation in space and many other important and pleasant things.
And what is required of a complacent Russian client? First of all, it is required to curb the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is torn into the “de-escalation zone” in Idlib. It is required to explain to him that the terrorists and the Syrian Free Army are not at all covered by Turkish observation posts there. The Turkish army only patrols the roads.
And I really want Moscow not to notice how Turkey is smashing the Kurds in the Syrian provinces it has captured.
Russia welcomed the prospects for expanding cooperation with Turkey with pleasure. Why not? Good for everyone. But they did not promise anything about Syria. Moreover, not understanding the eastern cunning, they demanded an end to the war against the Kurds. Accordingly, then the Turkish army in Syria, by and large, is not needed. Syria will deal with terrorists on its own.
Erdogan’s plane had not yet had time to take off from Sochi, when it became clear that the Turkish president flew past the ticket office. Just at this time, the Russian Aerospace Forces began strikes against the positions of the terrorists, which, in an oriental way, were skillfully mixed with the positions of Turkish mercenaries. And so that no one doubts the real outcome of the meeting, 40 air attacks were carried out with dozens of killed militants in the Hama-Aleppo-Raqqa region.
At the same time, the Syrian army launched attacks from the Grad, Hurricane and Tornado multiple launch rocket systems on the jihadists, which caused serious damage to the positions of the pro-Turkish forces. It all looked like the artillery barrage of the Syrian army before a decisive attack on the positions of the terrorists in Idlib.
It is clear that the Turkish troops in the occupied regions are brought to full combat readiness, new heavy artillery systems have been delivered to them. Erdogan’s statement that the “de-escalation regime” in Idlib has been strengthened in Sochi looks very original, after which he gave an order to further strengthen the likely directions of the Syrian army’s strikes by troops.
However, in the rear he has the hated Kurds, and the Americans decided to supply the Kurds with armored vehicles, including Bradley armored personnel carriers. It’s good that not tanks. In addition, the House of Representatives of the Congress in an additional decision on the military budget allocated military aid to the Kurds in the amount of 177 million dollars for 2022. The article lists specific items: pay, training, building materials and equipment, small arms, guns, missiles, and repair capacity.
This is the price of yet another eastern trick of Erdogan, when he tried to make Washington and Brussels jealous by rapprochement with Russia. I called and received an unexpected response. Now the combat-ready Kurdish units are even more active.
Istanbul immediately became indignant and recalled that Washington has invested more than $2 billion in the Kurds over the past five years. It is difficult to believe this Turkish arithmetic, this East is a very delicate matter. However, the fact that the United States will not allow Istanbul to wipe the Kurdish areas off the face of the earth seems to be true. Washington understands that the Kurds are a serious lever of influence on the Turkish cunning, not only during the period of hostilities, but also in the future.
Then the question arises, why did Erdogan start all this at all? What will this give Turkey, apart from lost lives, new expenses and hatred of the Turks?
And did not the ghost of the Russian SU-24 despicably shot down by the Turks once appear in the skies over Syria as a sign that evil is always punishable? Or did Erdogan think that his eastern cunning would irrevocably erase this history from the chronicle of the war? It doesn’t seem to be the case. You have to pay for everything.
Dmitry Sedov, FSK