In order to fill the void left by Iran in Syria, Turkey seeks to strengthen its role as a major actor in the country, in particular after the ouster of Bashar el-Assad of power last December.
Ankara seems to have started to extend her influence in Syria, leaks indicating an upcoming meeting between Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Charaa and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. This meeting should include discussions on a joint defense agreement which could worsen tensions with the Gulf States, put Israel in a delicate position and threaten the stability of the region.
According to Turkish and Syrian local sources, discussions between the two parties will focus on important subjects such as the establishment of Turkish air bases in the center of Syria and the formation of the new Syrian army.
Turkey, a member of NATO, has long supported the Syrian opposition against President Bashar El-Assad before he was overthrown at the end of December by the forces of the Syrian president Actrim Ahmed al-Charaa.
This is the first time that the details of a strategic defense agreement between Syria and Turkey have been revealed, including a plan aimed at establishing additional Turkish foundations on Syrian territory. The agreement provided between the two countries would allow Turkey to establish new air bases in Syria and to use Syrian airspace for military purposes, in addition to its role in the formation of Syrian forces.
The sources also indicated that the new Syrian leaders have started to restructure the Syrian army, where the rebel factions were dissolved and grouped within a unified military command. Negotiations on the agreement should not be finalized until next week.
New Turkish bases in Syria
Security officials have told Reuters that negotiations could relate to the construction of two Turkish bases in the Syrian desert region, known as al-Badiya, with a possible deployment of F-16 fighter planes in the future.
According to an official of the Syrian presidency, the meeting between Sharaa and Erdogan will focus on the question of the formation of the new Syrian army, as well as on the identification of new places of cooperation and military presence.
In a related context, the Türkiye newspaper cited sources according to which Turkey could build two military bases in Syria and deploy fighter planes F-16 in its continuous support in Damascus. According to these sources, the defense agreement which must be signed will provide Syria with the support of Turkey in the event of a sudden threat, and will include the formation of the Syrian army and the supply of advanced military equipment.
The Syrian administration has asked Turkey to provide it with drones, radars and electronic war systems to improve its ability to control the border with Israel, with the possibility of delivering drones in the near future.
A previous report by the Washington Post revealed that Israel is building military bases in the buffer area of the Syrian Golan Plateau, which further complicates the situation in the region. According to military experts, the bases in question would allow Turkey to defend Syrian airspace in the event of future attacks.
Negotiations with the Kremlin
Russia, the other great support of Assad, is in talks with the new Syrian administration on the fate of two of its military bases in Syria, said the Kremlin on Monday: a naval base in Tartous and an air base near the Coastal city of Lattaquié.
In an interview granted in January, the Syrian Defense Minister Marhaf Abu Qasra said that the new leaders of the country intended to establish solid links in the region, which, according to him, would help to strengthen the military power of the country.
Without directly mentioning Turkey, Mr. Abu Qasra added that Syria would welcome any partnership linked to armaments, training, air defense or other questions. A regional intelligence officer has revealed that the air bases could be located at Palmyra military airport and at the T4 base of the Syrian army, both located in the province of Homs.
Ankara seeks to establish bases in these places to send a message to Kurdish fighters in northeast Syria, known as the People’s Protection Units (YPG).
Turkey considers the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan workers’ party (PKK), which has been carrying out an insurrection against the Turkish state since 1984 and is considered a terrorist group by Turkey and the United States. Turkey has threatened to launch a military offensive against the YPG, but postponed it due to the continuation of the talks on the fate of the Kurdish forces.
