... conflict with Ukraine, the Kremlin would not be able to sustain its military presence in Syria at previous levels. There were speculations that the special military operation... ... the Abraham Accords, Israel’s deep political crisis, or the China-brokered Saudi-Iranian rapprochement. However, the crisis in Eastern Europe did have an impact on the... ... relations becoming more bumpy and less predictable in future.
Ilya Vedeneyev:
Syria–Turkey Relations: A Road to Normalization
Nonetheless, any deterioration of this relationship...
The goal of the round table was to discuss the dynamics of quadrilateral cooperation in the context of regional trends in the Middle East. The meeting was attended by leading experts from Russia, Iran, Turkey and Syria
On October 18, 2023, a closed round table “Cooperation between Russia, Iran, Turkey and Syria in the Context of Regional Dynamics” was held. Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) in cooperation with Institute for Iran & Eurasia studies ...
... greatest of these changes is the China-mediated rapprochement between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Given that these countries are regional “centers of power”, their new and improved relations may help reduce regional ... ... totaled 75.7 tons or $4.3 billion.
Another important factor shaping the Middle East’s approach to international relations is Turkey’s foreign policy. Particularly important, is Turkey’s position on Syria prior to the presidential elections in May 2023, and the new aspects it has now acquired following the victory of incumbent ...
... desert areas in the east (al-Badia).
Time after time, localized armed clashes, mysterious assassinations, exchanges of artillery and rocket attacks are frequent in different parts of the country, especially in the south (Deraa-Suweida-Quneitra triangle). Syria remains an arena for score-settling between Israel and Iran, Turkey and the Kurdish militias, as well as the geopolitical rivalry between Russia and the United States. Chronic instability seems to have become the new Syrian norm. Getting used to this uncertain reality is perceived by many inside and outside Syria ...
... attempted to do so; the al-Sinaa prison in northeast Syria was attacked and terrorists tried to help several thousand prisoners suspected of having links with ISIS escape from prison.
Some regional players, as well as extra-regional powers, negatively view Turkey’s plans for conducting a military operation in Syria. In July of 2022, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei warned Recep Erdogan against an attack on Syria, as it would harm not only Syria, but also Turkey, in addition to other countries in the region. Given that Washington considers the SDF as instrumental in the fight against ...
... solutions to provoke wider discussion about them in order to discover whether they are acceptable for all stakeholders. As for Turkey, Russia did indeed unofficially legitimize its sphere of influence in Syria, but should begin talking more about how destabilizing it is become and how counterproductive Ankara’s unrealistically recalcitrant stance on compromising on President Assad’s political future is for the peace process. Concerning Iran, Russia should applaud its anti-terrorist contributions but consider highlighting its regionally destabilizing role vis-a-vis ...
... somewhat resolving this dilemma in Syria. In any case, Russia would do best to expect the situation to mostly remain frozen and formulate its policies from that prediction. With this in mind, it must multi-manage its increasingly complex relations with Turkey and especially Iran in Syria, the latter of which is regularly bombed by Israel without any Russian interference due to their 2015
deconfliction mechanism
.
Russia regards Israel as a truly powerful regional force to be reckoned with, ergo the reason President Putin devotes ...
... the intra-Syrian dialogue into a single stabilization package.
Maxim Suchkov:
Russia in the Middle East: “Be with Us — and Remain Yourself”
Another important set of issues raised by our Damascus partners pertains to Russia being “an ally for Syria, Israel, Iran and Turkey” in the continuing conflict and to what the nature of Russia–U.S. contacts is.
It is no secret that the foreign political services of both countries have always maintained a working exchange of current information. This is particularly true ...
The impeachment process of US President Donald Trump and the US role in the MENA region would determine the future of conflicts in many countries starting from Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya and the future government in Lebanon, Iraq and Algeria, Turkey and Iran
“When I thought I had already reached the bottom,
they knocked from below.”
— Stanislaw Jerzy Lec
This quote of the polish aphorist and poet of the 20
th
century, Stanislaw Jerzy Lec, serves as a perfect epigraph to this in-depth 2020 forecast ...
What might be a “second option” for Russia in Syria?
The situation around Russia in Syria is up for debate. No doubt, Russia would like to lead a reconstruction effort in Syria, in harmony with all relevant partners, including the UN, the EU, the USA, China, India, Turkey, Iran, Israel, the Sunni Arab states including the Golf Council Countries (GCC-states), Egypt and Morocco. However, many of the parties on the list of wished-for partners are strongly hostile to each other, and it might therefore perhaps not be possible ...
