UAE addresses Turkey’s expansionist project after rejection of buffer zone in Syria
Sunday 03/February/2019 - 01:44 PM
Sarah Rashad
UAE Foreign Minister Anwar Gargash revealed his country’s refusal
to establish a buffer zone in Syria, citing the UAE's position on rejecting any
non-Arab presence in Arab countries.
Gargash said that his country stands for the protection of
the Kurds in Syria from the consequences of the US withdrawal from the area. He
said in an interview with Al Hurra channel on Wednesday that the UAE move in
Syria, including the return of relations with Damascus and the reopening of the
UAE embassy there, was caused by the desire to change the course of the Arab
role, which has become a bystander in the Syrian crisis, widening the arena for
regional countries.
Rift requires repair
The minister said that what happened to the Arab role is a "rift" that requires repair through an Arab foothold in Syria, as well as Iraq, stressing that the collective stance taken in 2011 against Syria does not match in practice what is currently on the ground.
The Emirati talk about repairing the Arab role in Syria has been admired by the Kurdish parties. Kurdish media outlets have celebrated Gargash's statement, speaking about the role the UAE will play against Turkey, especially after the US decision to withdraw its troops from Syria.
Since US President Donald Trump announced his decision in December to withdraw his country’s troops from Syria, allowing Turkish forces to invade Syria, the Kurds have been put in a situation of terror caused by Turkish ambitions and Ankara's desire to prevent any Kurdish separatist project. Against the background of these ambitions, the Kurds began to search for new allies after the abandonment of their traditional American ally.
Damascus has a word
The Syrian state entered into understandings with the Kurds in exchange for protection from Turkey, and Damascus introduced military forces in the Kurdish areas, considering any Turkish presence or military operation in the Kurdish areas as an attack on Syrian territory.
Following the emergence of the Syrian side in the Kurdish-Turkish equation, the US president put forward a proposal to establish a buffer zone to ensure his interests with both the Kurds and the Turks, but the Kurds rejected the proposal that was welcomed and adopted by Erdogan.
In context of these developments, the question remains: Does the presence of the UAE in the Kurdish file affect the course of events in the Manbij area? To what extent would it deter Turkish ambitions in Syria?
UAE in Syria
Since it decided at the beginning of this year to reopen its embassies in Damascus, the UAE’s statements regarding its relations with Syria indicate a new vision through which the Gulf nation is working with regard to Syria. It is no longer just a return of relations but an attempt to counter the Turkish expansion into its Arab neighbor.
According to reports dating back to 2017, Emirati thinking in support of the Kurds is not new, and the UAE minister's statement on the buffer zone has taken a big boost. Russian researcher Igor Subbotin wrote an article in which he expected the Kurds to adopt the support of the UAE after the shift in the American position.
Meanwhile, Turkish forums have also dealt with the presence of the UAE in Kurdish areas. In May 2018, the Anadolu Agency published information about a meeting between the UAE and Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) leaders, while the Turkish newspaper Yeni Şafak reported that the UAE had sent a delegation of military and intelligence personnel to the Syrian Kurdish areas.
The UAE did not deny cooperating with the Kurds, pointing out that their presence in Syria is in order to repair the existing rift regarding the Arab role in the Syrian crisis.
Turkish expansion is rejected
Nurhan al-Sheikh, a professor of political science at Cairo University, believes that the role of the UAE in Syria is already a deterrent to Turkey in its expansion into Syria. The UAE’s interests are consistent with Syrian interests, which reject any Turkish presence in its territory.
Sheikh pointed out that, in the UAE’s role, its interests do not allow for Turkey to achieve its expansionist project in the region. Turkey’s success in Syria would help it move to another country, which disturbs the UAE and the Arab region in general. She noted that the Kurdish file is the UAE’s card to prevent Turkey's encroaching steps.
Turkey’s expansionist project is rejected by the Gulf states as well as Egypt. These countries view the Turkish project as affecting their sovereignty and national security. Egyptian-Turkish relations are also witnessing severe tensions caused by Turkey's embrace of the banned Muslim Brotherhood and its leaders.
Turkey is working in pursuit of the Ottoman project dreamed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who desires to reestablish the legacy of the Ottoman Empire and try to extend his arms the areas previously controlled by the Ottomans. He relies on embracing Islamist movements to present himself as a protector of Islam.
