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Furious but powerless, Turkey left smarting by Russian action in Syria

07 October 2015 18:25 (UTC +04:00)

Baku – APA. Turkey may be furious about Russian incursions into its air space but beyond words of protest there is little it can do, with its dependence on Russian energy and trade keeping its hands tied, and its own Syria policy in disarray, APA reports quoting Reuters.

President Tayyip Erdogan has said he is losing patience with Russian jets crossing the border after Moscow launched an air campaign in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad last week. "An attack on Turkey means an attack on NATO," he warned.

The military alliance has, rhetorically at least, leapt to Turkey's defense, describing the Russian violations as "extremely dangerous", raising the prospect of direct confrontation between the former Cold War adversaries.

Russia's actions are galling for Erdogan, who has lobbied in vain for Assad's removal. The Syrian army carried out what appeared to be its first major assault backed by Russian air strikes on Wednesday, highlighting how Turkey has been left impotent as the conflict over its southern border takes on an increasingly international dimension.

"Russia coming in highlights that Turkey's policies in Syria are not working," said Jonathan Friedman, Turkey analyst at Stroz Friedberg, a risk consultancy.

"You've seen over time Russia and the U.S. taking stronger roles in the region. That constrains regional actors' abilities to influence developments."

Turkey shares a 900 km (560 mile) border with Syria and has shouldered much of the humanitarian fall-out from the civil war, now spilling into a fifth year. It has kept an open border policy throughout the conflict, taking in more than 2.2 million refugees at a cost of $7.6 billion and rising.

A member of the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State, it has, like Saudi Arabia and Qatar, backed anti-Assad insurgents, some of who have been targeted by the Russian air strikes. It has also lobbied for the creation of a "no-fly zone" or a "safe zone" near its border with northern Syria, a proposal that has failed to resonate in Washington.

"For Turkey there isn't a whole lot of room for maneuver ... All they’ve got left is this tough guy rhetoric," said one Western diplomat based in Ankara.

Long reluctant to take a frontline military role against Islamic State, Turkey in July made a dramatic shift in policy, opening its air bases for use in coalition air strikes and sending its own planes into action in northern Syria.

Its then-foreign minister said in August "comprehensive" joint air strikes with the United States would begin soon, a plan Ankara hoped would lead to the creation of a safe zone along its border. But there has been little progress.

"Turkey ought to be involved deeply in any Syria resolution, given its strategic and geographical position, but it remains a minor player in the coalition, and is pushing unattainable policy goals," the diplomat said.