Syrian theatre proves Turkey failing to be a regional power: EP deputy

Özlem Alev Demirel, a Turkish-origin German politician elected to the European Parliament from Germany's leftist Die Linke party, claimed that the Turkish government is not as strong as it wants to appear in Syria. "Turkey can only act within the areas granted by major states like the U.S. and Russia,” Demirel said in an interview with Duvar.

Ayşegül Karakülhancı/ DUVAR

Özlem Alev Demirel, a Turkish-origin German politician elected to the European Parliament from Germany's leftist Die Linke party last May, told in an interview with Duvar that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is not as strong as it wants to appear regarding its presence in northern Syria

“No matter how much the AKP government is trying show how powerful is has emerged as a result of its operations in Syria, what is clear is that Turkey can only act within the areas granted by major states like the U.S. and Russia,” Demirel said.

In October, Turkey launched the Operation Peace Spring in Northwestern Syria, for the purpose of clearing areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and its military wing the People's Protection Units (YPG), which Turkey considers the Syrian outpost of the banned Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK), with which it has fought a decades-long war within Turkey. 

The YPG were key US allies in fighting the Islamic State and wresting territory from under their control in Syria, which they were ultimately successful in doing so, but US support for the YPG has been a major point of contention for Turkey and resulted in the damaging of relations between the countries with NATO's two largest militaries, as Ankara considers the YPG to be no different than the PKK, which the US also considers a terrorist organization. 

File photo: Özlem Alev Demirel photographed during the election campaign in Germany April 2019

“President Erdoğan tried to use the cleavages between the United States and Russia. In the latest development, Russia is trying to portray Turkey as a problem within NATO. Russia is trying to use the discrepancies that Turkey has with various NATO countries for its own benefits. If only Turkey was in a position where it was giving the signal that it was on the side of peace for all the people in the region, though unfortunately that is not the case,” Demirel said, referring to the multiethnic and religious makeup of Northern Syria. 

According to Demirel, Turkey is making an concerted effort to be a regional power, but the NATO summit and the intervention of the Syrian government's military articulates that they have not have been able to be such a power. 

“Turkey is acting as if it independent but it is asking both Putin and the US what it can and cannot do. Among the public opinion, it is trying to portray itself as if it is very powerful,” Demirel said.