Turkey opens three humanitarian crossings with Syria in effort to normalise relations
Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government has taken a new step towards rapprochement with Damascus. Turkey hopes that the opening of three humanitarian crossings in northern Syria will serve as a sign of its intentions of rapprochement with the Syrians, who are asking Ankara to make a greater effort. These three crossings, which were closed in the past, were open exclusively for the passage of humanitarian aid, and connect to Syrian government-controlled regions. Now they will be permanently closed, and Turkey intends to use these crossings for political and economic purposes.
This move by Turkey does not seem to be enough, even if it is a start. Political analyst Aqil Hussein told Al Arab that "the issue will not stop when the crossings between Turkey's areas of influence and the regime's areas of control are opened. Rather, what is definitely required is the reopening of the international road". Such a reopening would mean connecting Turkey with Jordan through Syrian territory, something that is not expected to happen in the near future.
Nor does it seem likely that Erdogan's government will withdraw its troops from northern Syria in the near future. To this end, Ankara is calling for a resolution of, among other things, the Syrian refugee crisis, which suggests that this is not something that will be resolved soon. It should also be noted that Turkish forces are in northern Syria by virtue of the agreement signed in Adana that allows them to penetrate Syrian territory, as long as the ultimate objective is the fight against terrorism. It is precisely this fact that makes Hussein believe that Turkey has no intention of withdrawing its troops from northern Syria.
A few days ago, the "Sultan Murad" division, loyal to the Turks, allowed two trucks carrying food to pass through the Abu al-Zandin crossing, which is the point of separation between the Turkish and Syrian areas of control. This is the first time this crossing has been allowed to pass after being closed for several years, hinting at the line of Ankara's next moves. Observers believe that this opening also has to do with an economic interest in terms of currency exchange as they can take advantage of the US dollar in certain regions, while trading with the Syrian pound in areas under Damascus' control.
The most significant drawback in this attempt to normalise relations between Turkey and Syria comes from the omnipresence of the US. Washington does not welcome a rapprochement between Erdogan's regime and Damascus and says it does not support any kind of rapprochement. US State Department deputy spokesman Vidant Patel was clear that "the US Administration will not express any support for normalisation efforts with Bashar al-Assad or his rehabilitation". He added that 'the United States has no intention of upgrading our diplomatic relations with al-Assad, and we do not support normalisation of relations'.
It should not be forgotten that, despite the discontent generated by Turkey's rapprochement with Syria, the Turkish government began to show signs of easing its stance a little over a month ago. The Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavasoglu, revealed at the end of August that he had held talks with his Syrian counterpart. However, this dialogue was not confirmed by Damascus. What is certain is that Russia's position is an incentive for Turkey to forget its differences with Syria, given that the Kremlin has never hidden its affinity with al-Assad
