GENOA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th August, 2019) Turkey has a burning ambition to control territories in northwestern Syria and is pursuing the policy of granting citizenship to Syrians, particularly those fighting in operations conducted by Turkish forces, to create a tool of influence in the region, Syrian opposition figures told Sputnik.
On Monday, a Turkish military convoy entered the Syrian city of Saraqib, located in the country's northwestern Idlib province, and headed for the city of Khan Sheikhoun, which is under militant control. Later in the day, the Syrian Air Force hit the convoy. The Turkish Defense Ministry strongly condemned the strike and said that three civilians were killed and 12 more were injured.
"Turkey really seeks to divide the Syrian territory despite Astana agreements and to establish control over northwestern territories ... Turkey is giving away Turkish citizenship to many Syrians in Idlib. They are already more than 200,000. Now everybody who is fighting in the Euphrates Shield Operation has Turkish citizenship. The same applies to Operation Olive Branch. They grant citizenship to many young people inside Idlib and around, and also those who, say, study in Istanbul. By doing so, Turkey wants to gain full control and divide Syria," Mahmoud Afandi, secretary of Syrian opposition movement Popular Diplomacy, said.
He pointed out that Ankara's desire to control Idlib, the last stronghold of terrorists and Turkish-backed opposition in Syria, was aimed at containing the alleged Kurdish threat to Turkey.
"Turkey understands that if the United States does not withdraw now from this area, the danger of the Kurdish issue remains. The only solution for them is to fully control this territory. Turkey is afraid that the Kurds there will find an agreement with Damascus and act together against the Turks," Afandi said.
Ayham Ghazzi, a member of the opposition's Syrian Negotiation Commission, told Sputnik that Turkey was sending Syrian citizens with Turkish passports to areas it was interested in to have a pretext for future intervention.
"Turkey tries to send there Syrians who got the Turkish nationality, because Turkey wants a pretext for any intervention in the future under the pretense of protecting its citizens," Ghazzi said.
He pointed out that the latest escalation of tensions in Idlib was consistent with Ankara's plans in Syria.
"The Turkish involvement in the Syrian territories of the safe zone and the work with population are parts of the Turkish project in Syria, aimed at affecting the Kurdish presence there, especially in the Euphrates areas. All the current escalation is also consistent with the Turkish targets in Syria," Ghazzi noted.
During the last round of Astana-format talks on Syria in the Kazakh capital, the guarantor states � Russia, Turkey and Iran � reviewed, in detail, the situation in Idlib and reaffirmed their commitment to the memorandum on de-escalation of September 2018, as well as their determination to continue the fight against terrorist groups in the area.
Several days later, the Syrian army resumed its military operation against terrorist groups Idlib, citing in its statement the groups' failure to respect the ceasefire and the 2018 memorandum.
