Aydınlık: Syrian-Turkish draft agreement to normalize relations
The Aydınlık newspaper of the Turkish Patriotic Party (Vatan) published a Syrian-Turkish draft agreement which will probably lead to fully normalize the relations between the two countries.
Recently, the leader of the Turkish Patriotic Party (Vatan), Doğu Perinçek, announced possible plans for joint military operations between the Turkish and Syrian militaries against Kurdish forces in the east of the Euphrates and fundamentalist militants.
Russia will be a partner in these operations, while Iran will support them, he said.
According to Aydınlık newspaper, according to reliable sources, a draft agreement has been presented to the two sides that includes several key items.
The draft includes the following:
From the Turkish side:
- Türkiye will ban opposition activities on Syrian territory targeting Syria.
- Türkiye will be handed over to the Syrian authorities of radicals and involved figures designated by the Syrian government.
- Türkiye’s controlled areas of Idlib and northern Aleppo will be handed over to Syria before their final withdrawal from Syrian territory.
- Türkiye will hand over all border crossings with Syria, which currently run by the Syrian opposition back to the Syrian government.
- Türkiye won’t demand from the Syrian government constitutional amendments or a new political system for Syria.
- Türkiye will pose pressure on the United States to withdraw its forces from Syrian territory, and will provide assistance to Syria in achieving this.
- Türkiye will support the Syrian army in extending its control over areas north and east of the Euphrates.
From the Syrian side:
- Syria will agree to the return of between one and two million Syrian refugees from Türkiye to their country.
- Syria will ensure that returnees aren’t subject to any prosecution.
- Syria will ensure that the moderate opposition it agrees to is included in the government.
- Syria will work to eliminate the PKK and prevent any attacks against Türkiye from Syrian territory.
- If that isn’t enough, the Turkish military will have the right to chase militants within a depth of up to 30 kilometers, given that the 1998 Adana Agreement authorized a five-kilometer pursuit.
If the draft is approved, the two countries will meet to sign the security agreement in an official meeting, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syrian President Bashar al Assad are expected to meet and shake hands.
Türkiye’s National Security Council, which meets every two months, issued a statement that some see as a message to Syria.
“Türkiye won’t allow calls for division to affect the old friendly relations between the Turkish and Syrian peoples,” the statement said.
The statement stressing the importance of continuing efforts to reach a real agreement that includes all sides in the Syria.
The statement also stressed that cleansing Syrian territory of separatist terrorism serves the interests of Syria first, without referring to combating other types of terrorism.
