Turkey and Syria have 'low-level' contacts

The President of Turkey has reported 'low-level' contacts between officials of his country and officials of the Syrian central government. Ankara has been one of the main opponents of Bashar al-Assad in the region and supports several rebel groups opposing him. The deadly and tumultuous civil war in Syria has divided regional countries into two main groups: supporters of Assad and opponents of Assad; Turkey has firmly been among the opponents of the Syrian president, although new developments in the Middle East and globally, as well as in Ankara's relations with other countries, have occurred over the past eight years. Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkey's foreign minister, stated late last year that his country and others would consider cooperating with Assad if he wins in a democratic election. However, President Erdogan said on Sunday, February 3, during an interview with TRT, Turkey's state radio and television, that there are contacts between the two sides. Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated, 'Foreign policy regarding Syria continues at a low level.' He added that the work of intelligence agencies is different from that of politicians: 'The relations of leaders [of countries] may be severed. But intelligence agencies can continue as dictated by interests.' The Turkish president said, 'Even if you have an enemy, you should not completely sever your relations. You will need it later.' Erdogan also stated, 'We are not seeking the division of Syria.' He said his country, along with Iran and Russia, the main supporters of Bashar al-Assad, emphasizes that Syria should not be divided. The Turkish president also stressed that the buffer zone along the northern borders of Syria, where Kurdish militants are present, cannot be controlled solely by the coalition, and Turkish forces must be present there. The buffer zone along the Syrian-Turkish border is a proposal aimed at preventing potential conflict between Turkish forces and Kurdish militants. The Kurdish militants in the 'People's Protection Units' receive support from Washington, but Ankara considers them a terrorist group. In February, during his latest visit to Moscow, Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed Syria with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Reports indicate that Putin asked Erdogan to return Ankara and Damascus to implement the 'Adana Agreement,' an agreement dating back to the late 20th century that had relatively significant implications for Ankara-Damascus relations before the Syrian civil war. Turkey supported several anti-Assad rebels during the Syrian civil war. In 2016, Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that Bashar al-Assad, the president of Syria, is 'more advanced' than terrorist groups like ISIS. Last February, Erdogan's spokesperson denied any contact between Ankara and Damascus and stated that Assad must eventually step down. The Syrian civil war has left at least half a million dead. According to available statistics, the highest number of casualties occurred in 2013 and 2014; areas such as the Damascus countryside, Aleppo, Homs, Idlib, Daraa, and Hama have reported the highest number of victims.