Photo: TASS / Maksim Grigoryev
On April 23, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu announced that the Turkish airspace will be closed to military and civilian planes carrying troops from Russia to Syria.
Speaking to reporter on a plane en route to Uruguay, Cavusoglu said that Ankara took the decision after consultation with Moscow.
“We closed airspace to Russia’s military planes and even to civilian planes going to Syria and carrying soldiers,” the minister said.
Cavusoglu noted that permission was given for three month periods until April, and then the flights stopped. The minister didn’t elaborate.
Turkey has good relations with both Russia and Ukraine and has sought to mediate to end the war between them. Cavusoglu said talks between Russia and Ukraine are ongoing and the two countries are still working to draft joint declaration.
The war in Ukraine was not likely the only reason behind Turkey’s decision to close its airspace for Russian military plane traveling to Syria.
Turkey may be trying to pressure Russia over several issues related to Syria. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, Turkey’s main foe in Syria, is de-facto protected by Russian forces. Ankara may be seeking Russia’s support for a new operation against the group.
Ankara may be also looking for a Russian role in reestablishing relations with Damascus. Recently, several Turkish sources reported security talks with Damascus, while officials, including Cavusoglu, hinted that Anakra is ready for a limited rapprochement. However, Damascus rejected all of these claims and statements, calling on Turkey to withdraw its forces before any real talks.
Turkey’s interest in a rapprochement with Damascus is not an honest one. The ruling Justice and Development Party may be just trying to score a political achievement before the 2023 elections. The Syrian war and the refugee crisis are key issues for voters in Turkey.
Another issue Turkey may be trying to pressure Russia over is the situation in the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib, which is jointly ruled by the Turkish military and al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham. Russia resumed its airstrikes on the region recently. Ankara may have been triggered by that.
Regardless of Turkey’s real motives, the ban will not likely effect Russian military operations in Syria. Russia can still supply its forces via sea as well as through an aerial corridor that passes over Iran and Iraq.
Turkey trying so hard to be relevant. Go back to your little lives clowns! Russia China and USA are the big leagues.
Nobody likes a weak country. Other countries showed respect to russia because they thought she was strong, but due to the poor performance of her army in the ukranian theater, nobody counts her. She has become a joke. Even Greece dared to seize her tanker. Such a shame.
Yawn…
NATO must be getting a little hot around the collar….
Te lo conto Zelensky desde su escondite muerto de miedo y aclamando victorias que ni el se cree y vienes tu a creertelo?
Meanwhile Sephiroth pays US $ 5 Dollars for a Gallon of Gasoline and Russians pay US $ 1.60…….Weak is your Missive since Greece also decided to cancel any military aid to Ukraine. Weak are the Imbeciles who can not stop Russia in Ukraine or in Syria.
Greece canceled military aid to Ukraine? thats good news for my country! were can i read about this plz? it was a big mistake sending millitary aid to Ukraine
Russia is shaping the battlefield and taking it’s time before it ups the ante. Putin is a very intelligent and morally sound leader. He will achieve success.
You’ve simply watched too many American war films – USA! USA! USA!!! Or you don’t understand how modern warfare works.
When was the last time the USA actually won a war???
What they excell at is launching ‘wars of aggression’ (the worst crime a nation’s leaders can commit) and destroying weaker countries to steal their resources.
Worrisome, especially if we consider that Azerbaijan is almost as saying Turkey. Russian connection to the Mediterranean Sea may be severed or at least very much complicated. While in principle they could still fly via Caspian Sea – Iran – Iraq, let’s not forget that the latter is semi-occupied by the USA. The sea route via the straits of Skagerak and Gibraltar is also available, as it is international waters protected by the law of the sea, however is a very long route and all coasts are hostile between St Petersburg and Algeria.
Turkey is playing big here and I don’t think it’s only about Syria but certainly also about the Caucasus and maybe about (largely Turkic-speaking) Central Asia. It may be even about Muslim Africa (from Libya to Mali) to some extent, because both powers have been active there along with (most notably) France, which just pulled out of Mali leaving a mysterious mass burial behind, after the new Malian Junta said they’d rather have Russian merecenaries than French “peacekeepers”). Russia has also scheduled drills with Algeria by the Moroccan border and Morocco is not just backed by the USA, France and Spain but also by Israel and Turkey.
Youre right!! I bet Russia has bad surprises in stock for Turkey in the future. Yesterday big pictures about Armenian genocide were put on the streets in Moscow. I dont remember it happened before
What “bad surprises”? You mean another tomato ban or S400 sale 😂
EXCELLENT! MERDolfgan, ITS GENOCIDALS and JIHADI CHIHUAHUAS are going to finally pay the price of ITS being UNHUMANS!
very interesting geo political take
They can fly across turkey switching off turks radar.
Merdogan is a Satanist mason in league with all his “brothers” in the US, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and all the rest of Europe. He does as he is told to do.
He is Ikhwan.
“IT”, please
Algeria is closer to Turkey in my opinion. Morocco is closer to US and Israel for sure. However, Algeria still supports the Syrian regime but they were against Haftar.
I’ve been following almost daily the West Saharan war since it reignited in Nov 2020 and Turkey has certainly provided Morocco with weapons. Also the first Islamo-fascist terror in Mali a decade ago (which triggered French intervention) was ignited by Qatar and Morocco working in tandem and now Qatar is basically a Turkish protectorate (after they fell out with Saudi Arabia a few years ago). Algeria in turn is almost certainly directly involved in the presidential self-coup in Tunisia against Turkey-friendly Enadha Islamist party, almost certainly akin to Erdogan’s own Islamism.
I never read that Algeria was against Haftar in Libya but, if true, it may have been a tacticaal issue because France was pro-Haftar (as were many others incl. Russia, Egypt, etc.)
Algeria’s friends seem to be China, Russia and Italy (which is not in best terms with France because of Libya and sometimes flirts with their rivals like China, Russia and even Turkey).
Exact alliances may shift depending on context: it’s not the same two years ago in the height of Haftar’s offensive against Tripoli than now that the core conflict is West Sahara and Libya is relatively static.
Actually, Morocco is with the Saudi-UAE alliance. Their alliance with Egypt is more fragile because Egypt supported Assad and Haftar while they didn’t.
Morocco supported FSA and GNA.
Algeria is close to Germany.
Egypt and Saudi Arabia and Israel and Russia and France… all them backed Haftar.
Morocco’s exact alignment is fluid but I count the following recent allies:
1. Qatar: comrade in early Islamo-fascist agitation in Mali, probably with the intent of toppling the democratic sovereign govt and bringing a French intervention.
2. USA, France and Spain all in cahoots to give Morocco West Sahara and thus the control of the biggest phosphates’ mine on Earth.
3. Israel, which clearly warned Algeria last year against going to war with Morocco.
4. Turkey, which has not only been best friend with Qatar for a while already but also is selling Morocco the drones with which the Majzen murders civilians (and much more rarely hits a military target).
I am not aware of Egypt being positioned at all.
Enemies: clearly West Sahara (Polisario Front), Algeria and probably Tunisia for as long as it remains secularist. China and Russia seem to back Algeria, especially Russia, which has found in this country a potentially key Mediterranean ally with very similar and compatible interests and also of “pan-Arabist” ideology like Baathist Syria.
Neutral: Mauritania, which is trying by all means to avoid picking sides.
Algeria is not pan-Arabist anymore. Bouteflika has fallen. Also, Morocco voted in favour of China.
Surely you’re right but they are still “Arabist” enough and secularist enough. The mainline ideology of Algeria is still similar to that of Syria-Damascus.
Es sollte endlich eine Flugverbotszone in ganz Syrien eingerichtet werden… Vom Golan bis Irak, von Jordanien bis Türkei. Dann wird Ruhe… Also S400 nach Syrien… und Su 57
I don’t think so that Turkey will take this step because it does not make any logic.
Southfront, please, When and how did the kurdish separatists became “de facto protected by Russia”?
USA, right?
https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/291120192
From 2014 onwards.
‘Dog-faced Turks close airspace after airstrikes on it’s militants work a little too well.’
Turkey should be more careful about who they choose for friends because the West will eliminate them if the opportunity presents itself. So many Freemasons in that country that put their People second and their pocketbooks first.
The entire world can come we are ready. USA Russia and China can come at the same time I will be 100% confident
turkish delight lol
Russian army loves the new Turkish delight,it’s bayraktar TB2
Russians eat Turks like hot-dog.By the way Where is Servet with his maniac anime avatars?If you are from Turkey,tell him to fc.k himself.
How they gonna do that ? Poor cannon fodder Russians conscripts are dying like flies in Ukraine :)
It’s your politicians and oligarchs who will be assisting in exterminating you Confident One.
Iran and Pakistan can’t save you either.
Polacks and turks know how to deal with stupid russkies. Very good move turkey
They also like to Sodomize German and Dutch Blond Males….. And your admiration for these Vermin reveals that you liked what they did to you
do they know how to deal with kraut heads
Mafia Oligarch Jews and American Transvestite Generals know how to deal with stupid Ukrainians. Very good move Russia.
Yes: the Poles get on their horses and charge the tanks and they sit on the battlefield until after the war where they can be collected for burial. Please… 🙄
Nada, hay que entrar desde Iran
IN OTHER WORDS : Russia Authorized Turkey to close its Airspace to Russia and Others….. The planes have to make a trip over Iran and Iraq…….Old routine there.
Good news, if the russians could stop supporting this criminal assad it would be good. Since they support Assad the Russians have lost their honor for me. Syrians people the russians have killed many civilians in syria, they are breaking out of syria. let them go to Ukraine to fight.
I have SEEN the woman Kurdish fighters who have had their breasts but off by Turkish soldiers. Spare us your dishonest “concern” about the people of Syria. ANY soldier who committed such a vicious crime should be hanged and left for the vultures to eat. What sort of degenerate SCUM would do that to a woman?
the turks play both sides against each other they also have a dog in the race its called a new ottoman empire
My guess is that this is only theater as it would be impossible to know which planes are carrying troops versus anything else. This might only be to appease HTS while in reality does nothing.
SDF is protected by the USA and not Russia
Fucking dirty pigs. Go back to yo anatolian shit caves before it gets to close to comfort fo yo fat azzes.
Go back to your gulag, stupid drunkard
Since you are against Serbia how do you support Russia and Assad? Because these two support Serbia.
You are tooo stupid to understand anything.
Yes because Assad supports Bosnia right? Idiot.
only thing lower than a turk is an israeli and its kind throughout the world
when is putin gonna stop playing games with that turkish dog and stop his energy and weps deals and kick the sob out of syria already? enough already time for idlib to be taken out and the rest of the country needs lot of work to get rid of all these occupiers and violators and separatists
Syria will never have any kind of peaceful relations with Turkey. They occupy Syria’s northern area, and are “Turkifying” the region with forced school indoctrination and making people use the Turkish Lira currency.
F**k Turkey, just fly on nail they damn Air Force. Erdogan ain’t relevant, just trying to buy time for his savage proxies in Syria.
time for RUAF to start operating out of Iranian airbases. And time to shut down entire Syrian airspace to Turkish drones. Reciprocal action.
Russia can’t even shut down ukraine airspace rofl
LOL! Russia does not have troops to send to Syria. They just try to airlift everything they can to try to fight in Donbas.
really? 1 million rus army in active service, 2 million in reserve, and 20 million ready for military service from 18-45 years. in ukraine there are now only max. 200.000 rus troops.
it seems that the saa is planing a sping offensive against idlib. so that move from the turks trys to impende this. hope rus and syria will clean up idlib from terrorists anyway.
shoot the Turkey!!
Turkey “partner” fucks Russia again… cue the incoming tomato ban and S400 sale. 100D chess my friends 😂