Ahead of a new Astana meeting, Turkey shows signs of a policy shift toward Syria

Tabnak – While Iran, Russia and Turkey, as the three guarantors of the ceasefire in Syria are preparing for the formation of Syria’s constitutional committee, Ankara shows signs of a policy shift toward Damascus. Putting aside its assertions that Assad have to go, Turkey now declares readiness to work with him, if re-elected in a nationwide election.

In this vein, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says the Ankara government would consider working with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad if he wins a democratic and credible election. The Turkish foreign minister made the remarks while addressing the 18th edition of Doha Forum on Sunday.

Asked whether Turkey would consider working with Assad, Cavusoglu said there must first be an election in Syria and “if it is a democratic and credible one, then everybody should consider that [working with Assad].”

“It has to be very credible, transparent, democratic and fair elections. At the end, Syrian people should decide who is going to rule the country after the elections,” Cavusoglu added. He further noted that the constitution for Syria should be drafted by the people of their own country.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Cavusoglu said he believed US President Donald Trump was considering a policy of leaving Syria.

Cavusoglu’s remarks come as the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura is going to hold talks with senior officials from Iran, Russia and Turkey, as guarantors of the Syria peace process, in Geneva early next week.

According to a UN statement published on Friday, talks among the UN diplomat and high-level officials from the three countries will focus on setting up a "credible, balanced, and inclusive" committee to draft a new constitution for Syria and usher in elections. It added that the meeting will take place ahead of de Mistura's monthly presentation to the UN Security Council set for December 20.

Late in November, the guarantor states of the Astana peace process ended their 11th round of talks in the Kazakh capital, reiterating their strong commitment to Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Iran, Russia and Turkey also rejected "all desperate attempts" by foreign-backed militant groups to undermine the sovereignty of the Syrian nation.

At the end of the tenth round of the two-day International Meeting on Syria in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on July 31, Tehran, Moscow and Ankara expressed their firm determination to counter any plot aimed at partitioning the Arab country.

The Astana talks have so far resulted in the return of a succession of militant bastions to the government fold, the establishment of safe zones across Syria and the movement of civilians to those regions.