MADRID 30 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The foreign ministers of Russia and Turkey, Sergei Lavrov and Hakan Fidan, discussed in a telephone conversation this Saturday the new armed crisis that has erupted in northwest Syria, the scene since midweek of a lightning offensive by jihadist groups and opposition to the Syrian Government that has even reached the city of Aleppo, the second most important in the country.
In their conversation, according to official media from both countries, without giving many details, both diplomats discussed the evolution of events in Aleppo as well as the current situation of the so-called Astana Process, the talks sponsored in 2017 by Turkey’s guarantor states. , Russia and Iran to try to resolve the civil war in the Arab republic.
The advance on Aleppo has unleashed diplomatic tension between Türkiye and Russia. Ankara is linked to the coalition of armed opposition groups of the Syrian National Army, some of which are accompanying the offensive led by the jihadists of Hayat Tahir al Sham who are leading the attacks, while Russia is a country allied to the Syrian Government.
Although Turkey, as Fidan himself assured a few hours ago to the newspaper Yeni Safak, which is close to the Turkish Government, has completely ignored this offensive, experts from the Middle East Institute think tank have declared their surprise at the level of coordination. of the attacks, which hints at possible Ankara involvement at a logistical level.
In any case, the entry of the opposition into Aleppo represents a huge setback for the Syrian Government, which managed to regain full control of the city in 2016, after expelling the insurgents and thousands of civilians from its eastern neighborhoods after an exhausting campaign. military.