Will Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov’s meetings in Ankara today be able to take decisions regarding Turkey’s possible operation to Syria and the shipment of Ukrainian grain? Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is in Ankara for talks on critical issues such as Turkey’s possible military operation in Syria, grain shipments from Ukraine and NATO enlargement.
More than 100 days have passed since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Lavrov, whose visit to Serbia was canceled due to the closure of the airspace, arrived in Ankara last night. The main topics on the agenda of Lavrov’s meetings with Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu at the Presidential Complex today are not only the ongoing war in Ukraine.
“RUSSIA’S SIGNALS REGARDING THE OPERATION ARE NOT CLEAR”
Turkey has been preparing for an operation in northern Syria for a while. The goal of the operation had become a little more clear with President Tayyip Erdogan’s words, “We are entering a new phase in our decision to create a safe zone. We are clearing Tel Rifat and Manbij from terrorists.” However, what Russia will say about the operation in question and what stance it will adopt on the ground are of critical importance for Ankara. According to Turkish officials; While it has been observed that the signals from Russia regarding the operation are not very clear until now, local sources report that Russia has increased its mobility on the border with the Syrian regime forces in recent days. Spokesperson of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova said in a statement last week, “We hope that Ankara will refrain from actions that could lead to a dangerous worsening of the already troubled situation in Syria.”
Russia opposed Turkey’s Operation Peace Spring in 2019, and at the end of the negotiations, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the parties in return for a ceasefire. According to this, it was foreseen that the YPG (People’s Defense Units) presence in the regions under the military control of Russia would be withdrawn 30 kilometers from the Turkish border and the attacks against Turkey from these regions would cease. However, in the statements made by the higher authorities in Turkey in recent days, it is underlined that the promises made by the United States of America (USA) and Russia have not been kept. Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar also said in a statement after the last cabinet meeting, “We will save our nation from this terror scourge that has plagued our nation for 40 years. No one should come before us on this issue or try to hinder us.”
Meanwhile, the US-backed SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces), whose backbone is formed by the YPG, also stated that they are ready to coordinate with the Syrian army against Turkey. It is stated that talks between the SDF and Damascus are carried out under the mediation of Russia. On the other hand, the other important actors of the region, the USA and Iran, do not take kindly to Turkey’s operation. In all this equation, it is noted that the part of the talks with Lavrov, who came to Ankara with a military delegation, regarding the Syria operation, is particularly important.
GRAIN SHIPMENT OTHER AGENDA ITEM
Another important agenda item of Lavrov’s visit is the shipment of Ukrainian grain. Ukraine is one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of cereals and edible oils. Fear of famine is growing, especially in poor countries, in the face of rising food prices and collapsing Ukrainian exports. For this reason, it is on the agenda to open a safe corridor for the ships carrying the estimated 22 million tons of grain products waiting in the Odessa port to be removed from the mine-filled port. For this reason, Turkey, together with the UN (United Nations), is involved in clearing mines and carrying out grain shipments. During Lavrov’s visit, it is expected that this issue will be discussed extensively and work on the safe corridor maps drawn by the military authorities.
UKRAINE IS CONCERNED
Known for its proximity to the Kremlin, Izvestiya newspaper, based on Russian government sources, wrote that Moscow had agreed to open a corridor for the shipment of grains in Ukraine with Kyiv and Ankara. However, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Ankara Vasyl Bodnar said in a statement last night, “I would like to underline that there is no agreement between Ukraine, Turkey and Russia on this issue yet. Decisions on agricultural products in Ukraine should be made with the participation of all relevant parties. Ukraine “Agreements that do not take into account the interests of Turkey will be rejected by us,” he said.
Ukraine is worried that Russia is using the corridor to be opened for grain shipments as an opportunity and continues its attacks. That’s why it demands effective security guarantees. Within the scope of these guarantees, the Turkish Naval Forces will accompany the grain-filled ships. Minister Akar stated that they are making an effort to finalize the issue as soon as possible and shared the information that “Work continues on technical planning issues such as how it will be done, how the mines will be cleared, who will do it, how the corridor will be created, and who will accompany it.” Depending on Lavrov’s contacts, it is also among the information received that a quadruple summit for grain may be held in Istanbul this week with the representatives of Russia, Ukraine and the UN.
THE ENLARGEMENT OF NATO
Meanwhile, NATO’s enlargement and Turkey’s policy towards the membership of Sweden and Finland are expected to be one of the factors in the talks with Lavrov. During the meeting between Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın and Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Önal with NATO Secretary General Cabinet Director Stian Jenssen yesterday, regarding Sweden and Finland’s aspirations to become NATO members, “it was underlined once again that no progress can be made without taking concrete steps regarding terrorist organizations.” specified. Meetings with Lavrov in Ankara are also considered important in terms of increasing Turkey’s bargaining power in the context of the NATO summit to be held in Madrid at the end of this month.
Source: BBC