The leader of the Eurasian nation is confident that his presence in these conflicts will strengthen his position in the NATO

Turkey shows off its army's strength in Syria and Libya

photo_camera AFP/ADEM ALTAN - Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

The coronavirus epidemic not only has the power to destabilize our economies, but it also has the capacity to relegate some of the cruelest and bloodiest conflicts of this century, such as those in Libya or Syria, to the background. The international actors present in this war, especially Turkey, have taken advantage of this situation to increase their influence in regions such as Idlib, the last rebel stronghold in Syria, where much of the opposition to Bashar al-Assad's government is concentrated. The president of the Eurasian nation, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, addressed his country's military units present in Syria on Friday in a telephone conversation with his defence minister, Hulusi Akar, to highlight "the strength of the Turkish army". 

"I am confident that our unity and solidarity will make the world look at Turkey with admiration and will strengthen our position in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)," Erdogan stressed after boasting of his army's power in nations such as Libya and Syria. "The solidarity we showed with our brothers in Libya, and the consulting services we provided, showed how strong our performance is," he added. In response, Hulusi Akar said that "the morale of the Turkish army is very high and that the members of the Turkish armed forces are fulfilling their obligations to the fullest," according to statements reported by Al Masdar News. 

El ministro de Defensa turco Hulusi Akar en una reunión en el Sitio de Comando Táctico en Hatay

However, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has reported the death of a Turkish soldier on the road connecting the towns of Idlib and Sarmin, near a militia post loyal to Ankara in the area. The London-based agency, with a network of informants on Syrian soil, observed a violent explosion on the M4 international highway linking Aleppo and Latakia, caused by the detonation of an improvised explosive device near Ariha, just as a Turkish-Russian patrol was patrolling this road. This attack - which has injured at least one other Turkish soldier - comes a week after another fighter from the Eurasian nation lost his life during a murder on this same road. 

Turkey's false promises in Syria and Libya

For its part, the Syrian news agency SANA has said that several mercenaries of the Turkish regime have been injured this Friday during internal fighting in the city of Ras al Ain, northwest of Hasaka. These fights have taken place between the rebel militias of the so-called al-Hamzat brigade and Ahrar Sharqiyah over accusations of treason, according to SANA who has stressed that this situation caused panic among the residents of the area. 

"These disputes are caused by the differences between their way of acting and the faction's leadership policy," SOHR said a few weeks ago after about 70 people withdrew from their positions in the Ras al-Ain camp, where they were fighting the Syrian army. This discontent is compounded by the ongoing tensions between Turkish mercenaries and the commanders of the pro-National Accord Government ( GNA ) militias in Libya; a disengagement that has led to nearly 700 Syrian mercenaries leaving their ranks in the North African nation.

Soldados turcos patrullan la ciudad kurda siria del norte de Tal Abyad, en la frontera entre Siria y Turquía

Relations between Ankara and its militias in Syria have been deteriorating in recent months, following Turkey's incursion into the conflict in Libya.  In May, more than 2,000 fighters deserted Sultan Murad's Division, one of the main armed factions serving Turkish interests in Syria, according to data accessed by the web portal Modern Diplomacy. The members of this division resigned after being ordered to go to Libya to support the GNA militias. So far, Ankara has deployed more than 11,600 Syrian mercenaries to the North African nation to swell the ranks of the GNA, according to the Syrian Human Rights Observatory. Casualties of Syrian fighters in Libya have increased in recent weeks due to a lack of training and weapons. The total count of losses among Turkish-supported groups now stands at 351, including 20 under 18.

The strengthening of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), Syria's Kurdish party in the north of the country, is seen as a threat to Turkey's territorial integrity, for which this organization is an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). In March 2020 Turkey began its fourth military operation in Syria after the death of 34 Turkish soldiers on February 27, the deadliest day Ankara has suffered in Syria since the country's civil war began nine years ago. However, with the arrival of the coronavirus, Ankara has also wanted to exercise its humanitarian diplomacy by distributing food packages to more than 120 families in northern Syria. 

Soldados turcos en la ciudad siria de Ras al-Ain, al noreste de Siria

The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (DEMA) distributed the aid to six villages in Tal Abyad, according to the provincial governorate of the border province of Sanliurfa in a statement that was picked up by the Anadolu news agency. COVID-19 is responsible for the deaths of at least six people in the country. For this reason, Ankara has also distributed masks to prevent the spread of this pathogen and toys for children. 

EU extends sanctions against Al Assad by one year
Bachar al-Asad, presidente de Siria

In this scenario of instability and uncertainty, the EU has decided to extend its sanctions against Al Assad and the Syrian regime for another year. The EU Council has approved the extension of sanctions against members and supporters of the Assad regime, as well as entities benefiting from this regime, for a further year. This body considers this conflict and the suffering it is causing the country's population to be the greatest humanitarian catastrophe in the world. 

The European External Action Service (EEAS) has issued a statement explaining that the EU sanctions, imposed since 9 May 2011, are a response to "the repression perpetrated against the Syrian people by the Syrian regime and its supporters". They also stressed that these measures are designed to target only specific individuals and entities and thus avoid influencing the civilian population. European Union sanctions do not prevent the provision of humanitarian assistance to the Syrian population," they have underlined. 

The main purpose of these sanctions is to put pressure on the Syrian regime to end the conflict that is devastating their nation, in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolution 2254.  In this respect, the EU is characterised by the imposition of different types of targeted measures, including individual restrictive measures directed against persons and entities responsible for repression against the civilian population, or sectoral restrictions designed to have the maximum impact on the regime. Since the beginning of the conflict in 2011, the EU and its member states have been the largest donors of humanitarian aid to Syria and the region, with total EU assistance of more than 17 billion euros. Since the beginning of the conflict, more than 5.6 million people have been forced to flee the country, while 11.7 million are currently in need of humanitarian assistance to survive. 

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