Russia - Iran - Turkey trio leaves US and Europe on the sidelines in Syria

(Baonghean) - The foreign ministers of Russia, Iran, and Türkiye recently had a phone call and agreed on many common issues related to the crisis in Syria. Russian President Putin himself had a phone call with the Turkish President on December 18 about this issue. These developments once again show that the US and Europe are being 'left out' of the Syrian battlefield.

Why is America "left out"?

In just the past few days, diplomatic efforts related to the Syrian war have had many new developments. Notably, it is the handshake of Russia, Iran and Türkiye without any participation of the United States or the European Union. First of all, we must mention the phone call between the foreign ministers of the three countries on December 17. Accordingly, the foreign ministers emphasized the promotion of a political solution to the conflict in Syria.

Through a phone call initiated by Russia, the three foreign ministers agreed to meet soon on December 20 in Kazakhstan. Not only that, on December 18, Russian President's special envoy to Syria - Mr. Alexander Lavrentiev made a surprise visit to Iran to discuss the situation with top officials of this country. Notably, on the same day, December 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin also had a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the Syrian civil war. The two leaders discussed the situation on the Aleppo battlefield as well as the completion of the evacuation of civilians and the removal of opposition fighters from the city.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (right) have common strategic interests in Syria. Source: Ria Novosti

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rauhani (right) also stand on the same side in Syria. Source: AFP

All these moves took place right after the Russian Foreign Ministry announced the unreasonable postponement of negotiations with the US on the Aleppo issue. There are many reasons to explain why the trio of Russia - Iran - Türkiye is stepping up cooperation on the Syrian issue without paying attention to the opinions of the US and the European Union. Firstly, the situation on the Aleppo battlefield has completely changed with the victory belonging to the Russian-backed Government army. With such a "victory", taking a step forward on the diplomatic front with "temporary allies" Turkey and Iran is not difficult to understand. Secondly, the move that seems to "tease" the US is also a message that Russia wants to reaffirm that Russia - Turkey - Iran have many common interests and many problems that can be dealt with together.

Handshake for Syria

In the Russia-Iran-Türkiye handshake, public opinion pays special attention to the Russia-Turkey relationship. Public opinion must have seen a complete change in the current relationship between the two countries compared to the time of the serious incident in the relationship between the two countries in November last year, when the Turkish army shot down a Russian Su-24 fighter jet near the Syrian border. Russia responded by imposing comprehensive sanctions on Turkey. However, since the coup in Turkey in July this year, in which Ankara accused the cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is living in exile in the US, of being the "mastermind"; the relationship between this country and the US has begun to crack. Until last October, Russian President Putin's visit to Türkiye created a turning point in the relationship between the two countries as well as clearly demonstrated Ankara's attitude towards Washington.

These scenes in Syria will certainly continue in the future as long as this is still the strategic chessboard of the major powers. Source: Al Jaazara

Obviously, once Russia and Türkiye join hands, the advantage on the Syrian battlefield will certainly lean towards Russia. The voices and positions of Russia and Türkiye in Syria will also be strengthened. The reality on the Aleppo battlefield in recent days has also shown that. Although it has not been able to completely resolve the situation here, however, Russia understands that the US and its allies without the trio of Russia - Iran - Turkey will not be able to bring Syria to its destination. For such reasons, the fact that the three countries of Russia - Iran - Turkey deliberately set up separate negotiation frameworks is certainly making the US and its allies "frustrated". Of course, the pressure to make concessions will come to the US and its allies in the upcoming multilateral negotiations on the Syrian crisis.

However, whether the Russia-Turkey-Iran handshake will bring an end to Syria or not is still an unanswered question. Because analysts have commented that this is only "a temporary axis of interest", how long it will last, no one can predict. Especially in the context that US President-elect Donald Trump is said to have a "softer" mindset towards Russia. After winning the electoral vote on December 19, he will take office early next year. At that time, Russia-US relations, the situation in Syria and the Middle East will certainly have many unpredictable fluctuations. And once the Syrian battlefield is still a playground of interests for major countries, any handshake will only be "temporary".

Phuong Hoa