Turkey-Russia-Iran joint operation discussed in Ankara

The United States continues to prepare for the occupation of Idlib under the cover of al-Qaeda at an unprecedented pace. The details of a possible operation to be launched to prevent Pentagon and the PKK from occupying the region have been discussed in Ankara. The delegation under the chairmanship of Iranian Chief of General Staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri focused mainly on Idlib on Thursday. A joint Turkey-Russia-Iran military operation is being discussed against any U.S. occupation. Bagheri put forward suggestions to establish a “de-escalation zone” in Idlib, according to reports.

The plan includes establishing control in Idlib by eliminating “foreign” elements as Russian and Iranian troops advance from the south, and Turkey advances from the north. It is also reported that Russia started to deploy its troops in Mahardah and Halfaya in the south of Idlib, and the airport which was turned into a military base in Hama has been reinforced by Russia.

Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar and his Iranian counterpart Bagheri submitted the agreement reached on military issues to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the presidential palace. However, Turkey is weary of this plan. Ankara believes that such an operation against Idlib, where more than two million Syrians, most of them refugees, live, might result in the death many civilians. Turkey also points out that if pro-Assad forces enter Idlib, where a great number of opposition members exist, the tension in the region might escalate. Moreover, it is quite difficult to distinguish between the groups in the region as “terrorists” or “opposition” under present conditions. Turkey highlights the importance of declaring Idlib a “de-escalation zone” after the U.S. increased its efforts to launch an operation using al-Qaeda as excuse, and says the check points and secure lines should begin to be established.

Ankara also received Kuwait’s Defense Minister Sheikh Mohammad Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and his delegation on Thursday. Kuwait Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Al-Hamad al-Sabah visited Minister of National Defense Nurettin Canikli. A meeting between the delegations was held in the aftermath of the military welcoming ceremony. The diplomacy traffic in Ankara will increasingly continue, as it was noted in successive statements made on Thursday.

Iranian Chief of General Staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri said in a statement that the meetings with Turkey will continue. Bagheri noted that he invited his counterpart Hulusi Akar to Iran to “continue the cooperation,” and that President Erdoğan will visit Iran soon. Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın stated Erdoğan will visit Jordan on August 21 to discuss Syria, Iraq and Palestine. Kalın added that the U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis will visit Turkey in the coming days. Mattis is expected to visit Turkey next week. Chief of the General Staff of Russian Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov, will visit Ankara before Mattis.