The Turkish – Iranian cooperation and a new regional scene

Written by Nasser Kandil,

Throughout the US war on Syria and the decisive active Turkish role, Iran as Russia were aspiring for a moment in which they can attract Turkey to transfer it to an opposite bank. Russia and Iran endured a lot waiting for this moment. During this war there were many shifts though which Turkey got mature, then the Turks turned to be more savage and embroiled in waging the same war, till there were new equations,  their basis is the despair which prevailed on Turkey and its allies of the inability to adjust the destination of the war in which Syria and its allies approach from achieving victory since the liberation of Aleppo, so was the US- Israeli investment on the Kurdish privacy as a factor in disrupting the settlements which are devoted for the recovery of Syria, dismissing the vital interests of Turkey and its national security.

During the past months the Turks tested all the opportunities of the bet on adjusting the US – Israeli position, while the Israeli priority was to alienate Hezbollah as much as possible, the Americans were playing with the Kurdish paper. The Turks have to save themselves since there is no longer any doubt at the Turkish leadership that the matter is not limited with the Kurdish privacy in Syria that is supported by the Americans in order to grant them the legitimacy of their presence in Syria under the cover of the Kurdish flag, but what was resulted from the revival of the dreams of the Kurdish secession from Syria and most importantly in Iraq where the Kurdish leadership is an ally to Turkey, towards the Turkish feeling of the threat of the expansion of the situation quickly to Turkey, Iran does not deny as well that it has the same feeling towards the Kurdish background in it. The sectarian ignition generally spreads like wildfire.

The Turkish-Iranian convergence is no longer a political one and it is not one of the outcomes of the positioning on the banks of the Syrian war. This meeting has a title related to the higher interests of the two countries, so sending powerful message to the Kurdish leaderships by drawing a red line against the attempts of secession requires by virtue of the interference of the files that Turkey has to accept to lead the battle of eliminating Al Nusra front and to pledge to withdraw from Syria in favor of the Syrian country in exchange for the Iranian pledge to ensure the end of the Kurdish security political privacy on the borders. This has been already heard by the Turks in a form of repetitive Russian advice, its content is to end the tampering with the security and the geography in Syria, so that the Syrian country can have control over its geography from borders to borders. It is the shortest way to avoid the risks of parallel tampering by the Kurds.

This time the Turkish-Iranian convergence will establish a new regional scene in which Russia participates, entitled Astana will have a strong incentive to succeed in its coming round out of the force of this convergence. The Russian-Turkish-Iranian tripartite is able to present a new scene in Syria, Iraq, and the region in general. The Americans will find after the end of tampering with illusions and the end of ISIS in Syria and Iraq that their fate is to search in the far interests with this tripartite which based on true important capable countries. Thus the big strategic question becomes what will be the roles of Israel and Saudi Arabia? Have their functional roles ended? Have they become just strategic burdens that must be protected?

Translated by Lina Shehadeh,