Jan 29, 2020

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized Russia directly for the first time in a long while in the wake of the recent escalation in northwestern Syria.

Lashing out at intense Russian airstrikes in and around Idlib, Erdogan said Russia “doesn’t comply” with the 2018 Sochi agreement to establish a demilitarized zone around the last stronghold of the Syrian rebels where the Syrian regime's advances continue.

“The Astana process has become moribund,” Erdogan said, speaking to reporters on his return from Senegal late Wednesday. “Turkey, Russia and Iran should seek a way to revive it.” The talks in the Kazakh capital — initiated by Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin and also involving Iran — first began three years ago to find a solution to the Syrian conflict but have recently stalled.

Why it matters: As Turkey’s relations with the Western powers and regional countries took a nosedive following Ankara’s unilateral moves in Libya and the eastern Mediterranean Sea, Erdogan’s remarks targeting Russia came as a surprise.

His statement coincides with Turkey’s deepening isolation among Western and regional powers due to its Libyan venture and actions in the eastern Mediterranean. Yesterday’s phone call between Erdogan and US President Donald Trump was the latest manifestation of the discord, as the two sides framed the conversation differently. While the White House emphasized the “need to eliminate foreign interference and maintain the cease-fire in Libya,” Erdogan said it was “mainly a courtesy call” in the aftermath of the earthquake that hit eastern Turkey over the weekend.