Thousands take to the streets
Protests against rapprochement between Turkey and Syria
In northern Syria, thousands demonstrated on Friday against the rapprochement between Turkey and the Syrian leadership.
Demonstrators protest against a possible rapprochement between Turkey and the Syrian government. Photo: Anas Alkharboutli/dpa
The protests took place around Idlib and Aleppo, among other places, according to a spokesman for regional civil protection. The areas are not under the control of the Syrian government. Many people there see Ankara as a protective power.
With chants and banners, the demonstrators spoke out against reconciliation between the two governments. “I was expelled and lost three of my children in the regime’s prisons,” said a participant in a rally near Aleppo to the German Press Agency.
After a long diplomatic ice age, the defense ministers of Turkey and Syria met in Moscow a week ago to find ways of finding a solution in the civil war country. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu also took part in the talks.
Russia supports President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian civil war, while Turkey is on the side of the rebels. Ankara had severed diplomatic relations with Damascus, but most recently expressed the will to rapprochement. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had also brought up a meeting with Assad, whom he has described as a “murderer” in the past.
Erdogan is under domestic pressure because the mood in the country towards the Syrian refugees has deteriorated significantly. Around 3.7 million Syrians live in Turkey. Ankara would like to send people back to their homeland. According to the Turkish and Russian defense ministries, the refugees were also an issue at the trilateral negotiations in Moscow.
After almost twelve years of civil war in Syria, Assad’s government troops again control around two-thirds of the country. In addition to Russia, the ruler is also supported by Iran. Turkey occupies areas in northern Syria.
(SDA)