The Prospect of Normalising Syria-Turkey Relations: Interview with Ali Kayali (Mihrac Ural)

Over the past several months, there has been repeated talk of the possibility of some kind of normalisation of relations between Turkey and Syria. Public talk of this prospect has primarily come from Turkish and Russian circles, with Turkish officials hinting at the idea of cooperation with Syria against “terrorism” (i.e. the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which Turkey considers a threat because of the links with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party/PKK) as well as the return of refugees to Syria. Turkey’s president Erdogan has even suggested a tripartite meeting involving himself, Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad and Russia’s president Vladimir Putin.

There is also no doubt that Russia would welcome some kind of rapprochement between Turkey and Syria and has been encouraging steps towards such a move, as Russia is an ally of the Syrian government and maintains close relations with Turkey. It is likely that there has also been contact at the intelligence level between Turkey and Syria. Furthermore, a rapprochement with Turkey could help the Syrian government break international isolation and alleviate its own economic crisis.