-
The 'Kurdish phobia' in Astana 15 talks
The three Astana's self-appointed guarantors of the Syrian peace process- Turkey, Russia, and Iran- have held the 15th round of negotiations in Sochi after a long-term break since June 2020. This round, as usual, began with the participation of the UN and Red Cross representatives; Iraq, Lebanon, Kazakhistan, and Jordan as observer members. On the other hand, the US didn't attend the talks despite the Russian invitation as an indirect unsatisfaction Biden’s message to the summit.
A glance at the final statement of Astana's troika, the 'Kurdish phobia' again was in the centre of consideration and discussions with the full rejection of "illegal initiatives for self-governance" that lead by Kurds in northeast Syria. They also shared the idea and the ‘necessity’ to stand up against the "separatist plans" of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and to hinder the Kurdish ambition on the ground that has American support. Moreover, Astana's statement has clearly adopted the rhetoric that to exclude the Kurds from the political solution and peace process in Syria and considers Kurds as the " threat to the national security" for Syria and neighbouring countries.
Besides that, Astana guarantors expressed their "strong commitment" to the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Syria. In contrast to the mentioned above, Moscow, Ankara, and Tehran were already considered Astana talks as a tool of legitimatizing their military intervention in Syria. For example, Turkey is now occupying the northern part of Syria as a result of Astana's negotiations and the Putin-Erdogan deal in Idlib. Furthermore, Russian president Putin considers themself as the main "guarantor" of Syria's unity, he was behind Turkey's occupation of Kurdish areas of Afrin, Ras Al-Ain, and Til Abyad in northeast Syria that controlled by SDF.
At the same time, Russia and Iran are sharing Assad's areas of Syria with full military and political control, while they both "shed crocodile tears" when it comes to the unity and sovereignty of Syria. Russia is trying to confront the US strategy in Syria by blackmailing other parties involved in the Syrian conflict. Erdogan's chronic fear of "Kurdish state" or Kurdish autonomy in northeast Syria can be considered an essential aim for Turkey to intervene in the Syrian conflict. Simultaneously with that, Iran and the Syrian regime share the same common fear and interests with Erdogan towards Kurds in Syria.
Consequently, the main goals and objectives of the three Astana's guarantors on Syrian talks are that to reject any Kurdish presence or Kurdish rights in northeast Syria since the start of Astana's Meetings in September 2017. Added to that the Moscow with the other Astana counterparts - Iran and Turkey- are trying to institutionalize Astana's negotiations to be an alternative to the UN 2254 Resolution.
Zara Saleh
