Turkey's planned cross-border offensive in northern Syria is prompting Ankara to negotiate with Moscow over the use of airspace in the disputed area. This is reported by Arab News.
Experts say that Turkey probably wants to get permission from Russia to carry out the operation, so as not to damage bilateral relations, which have long been held hostage by regional crises.
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said the long-anticipated air and ground operation would target Kurdish militias in Syria and that Ankara had held talks with Moscow on the details of the operation, including the opening of airspace.
Turkey considers the Kurdish militia to be the Syrian offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which it considers — along with the United States and the EU — a terrorist group.
Ankara, which has hinted at a full-scale ground operation against Syrian Kurds, has blamed them for a November 13 attack in Istanbul that killed six people and wounded more than 80, although Kurdish organizations have denied involvement.
In late November, rockets fired from northern Syria hit the Turkish border town of Karkamis and killed three civilians, prompting Ankara's plans to strike back. Ankara is seeking to improve relations with the Syrian government in order to obtain approval for the operation from its authorities.
In a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week, Erdogan proposed the creation of a tripartite mechanism between the leaders of Turkey, Russia and Syria to discuss a joint counter-terrorism strategy. At the same time, statements of disapproval of the ground operation were heard from Moscow.
Turkey has already conducted three large-scale military operations in Syria — Euphrates Shield in 2016-2017, Olive Branch in 2018, and Spring of Peace in 2019.
Ankara's Operation Sword Claw has been targeting Syrian Kurdish militias with long-range strikes and drones since late November, drawing criticism from the US after strikes were carried out near coalition bases where US soldiers are stationed.
Turkey is also reported to be prioritizing the creation of a security corridor along its southern border with Syria and is targeting the cities of Tal Rifaat and Manbij. Therefore, it is expected that Russian mediation between Ankara and Damascus will be aimed at targeting cities in Aleppo province during the upcoming offensive. It is also noted that the Russian side held negotiations with the Syrian Kurds in order to persuade them to move away from the Turkish border, but the negotiations were unsuccessful.