Iran expresses Syria frustration to Turkey in a tense visit

Middle East Eye-Dec3rd2024

By Ragip Soylu in Ankara

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s visit to Ankara on Monday was fraught with tension as he accused Turkey of enabling a Syrian rebel offensive to seize Aleppo, two people familiar with the matter told Middle East Eye.

Araghchi made the trip to Turkey after meeting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday, where he reaffirmed Tehran’s support for Damascus as rebels continued their stunning advance.

Observers in Ankara expected Araghchi to deliver a message from Assad aimed at encouraging a diplomatic solution to the escalating conflict. That didn’t happen.

“He didn’t bring anything from Assad,” said one person familiar with the talks. Instead, Araghchi expressed Tehran’s grievances, accusing Turkey of betrayal by allegedly supporting the rebel offensive. He also reiterated that Iran would back Assad under any circumstances.

On Tuesday, Araghchi upped the ante, saying Iran would consider deploying troops to Syria if Damascus requested it, according Iranian state news agency IRNA.

Turkish officials, however, denied providing any support to the Syrian rebels.

According to the people familiar with the talks, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan rebuked his Iranian counterpart. He said that Assad and Iran, which he noted does not share a border with Syria, had failed to genuinely participate in peace negotiations for years.

He also said that Iran should not seek external scapegoats while Assad continues to oppress his own people.

During a news conference after meeting Araghchi, Fidan reiterated that attributing the Aleppo offensive to foreign intervention would be misguided.

“This is a mistake and a refuge for those unwilling to understand the realities in Syria,” he said.

“Ignoring the legitimate demands of the opposition and the regime’s refusal to engage genuinely in the political process were grave errors. The recent widespread attacks on civilians have reignited the civil war. We had repeatedly warned all relevant parties about this.”

Fidan also reaffirmed Ankara’s readiness to facilitate dialogue between Damascus and the Syrian opposition.

Araghchi, meanwhile, called for an urgent meeting between the foreign ministers of Turkey, Iran and Assad’s other major sponsor, Russia.

Although according to the sources he brought no new proposals to the table.

The summit is expected to take place on Friday or Saturday on the sidelines of the Doha Forum conference in Qatar, where Fidan and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are scheduled to speak.

Ankara continues to assert that diplomacy is the only path to resolving the crisis.

In a phone call with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he was committed to finding a peaceful resolution and avoiding harm to civilians.

“The Syrian regime must engage in a genuine political process to prevent the situation from deteriorating further,” Erdogan said, according to a statement from the Turkish Presidency on Tuesday.

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