The final declaration of the “International Syria Conference” held by the Republican People’s Party (CHP) has been published. (https://tr.sputniknews.com)

Comment:

In the declaration, the CHP particularly emphasized ambiguity of how the change in Turkey’s Syria policy would occur. This emphasis shows that the CHP wants to be active in foreign policy. By stating equivocality in Turkey’s Syria policy, CHP aims at gaining more consideration and importance for its own solution offers. Besides, with this conference, for the first time, the CHP tries to say something in international area about the Syria issue and the things it is saying facilitate the work of the AK Party government, which wants things to be done within the plans of the USA. For the AK Party government utilizes the anti-refugee campaigns of the secular Kemalists and the neo-nationalists’ for its own aim of sending back more than 3 million Syrian refugees. On the one hand, it says, that it will naturally continue to be Ansar for the Muhajirun, on the other hand, it capitalises on the hostility against the refugees in Turkey, created by the seculars and neo-nationalists, in order to send the Muhajirun back. Furthermore, in order to ensure that Syrian and in particular Idlib issues get under the control of the regime, the government opens the doors to the opposition’s solution offers, and it yearns for a new public opinion in order to revive the relationships between the regimes of Turkey and Syria. The reason for why I am saying this is that in the medium term the government and President Erdogan seek solutions for two issues regarding Syria…

Firstly: sending back the Muhajirun from Syria, who stay as refugees in Turkey. Secondly, fulfilling America’s and Russia’s demands regarding Idlib in order to hand over the last soil of resistance to the regime. The AK Party needs the CHP and the neo-nationalists to form this public opinion, for it does not want to offend the Muslims with high Islamic sensitivity and sentiments of brotherhood, and does not want to contradict its previous heroic “Ummatic” politics (pretended sentiments of Ummah awareness). Actually, this clearly shows that the AK Party government’s policies are neither pro-Islamic nor pro-Muslims.

In the final declaration of the Syria Conference, the CHP stated, “We are pleased to note that the vast majority of political actors in the region and outside the region are in an endeavour to end crisis in Syria in peaceful ways.” These statements also confirm neither Europe nor any other party have any plans, other than America’s political solution. By saying regional actors, the CHP means Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf countries and the Syrian regime. And with actors outside the region, it means the USA and Europe. This shows that all Western colonial powers and their regional collaborators are in agreement on the Syria issue. So, who is the party that they put on the target and that they see as a threat in Syria? It is the Muslims and the sincere revolutionary groups, who want the fall of the Syrian regime.

The official meeting between Turkey and Syria was another point that the CHP emphasized in its Syria Conference… In the declaration, it said, “Turkey can ensure its safety against concrete threats coming from Syria by making multidirectional diplomacy with Syrian government and all legitimate actors forming Syrian community.” These statements aim to facilitate the way to meet with the Assad regime by showing the PKK/YPG threat in Northern Syria to the AK Party government. The government is now looking for new channels of communications with the regime, which will be on the table in the creation of the Syrian Constitution and in the construction of a new democratic Syria. Other than that, Turkey is meeting with the Syrian regime through its intelligence service and secret channels anyhow.

In short, at the point we reached throughout 8 years of Syria politics, the AK Party government is clinging to the politics and propaganda of the secular Kemalist CHP and the neo-nationalist fascists in order to communicate with the criminal, cruel dictator who murdered the people of Syria, persecuted them, raped their women, strangled their children and buried them alive. Now you tell me, can we call the AK Party an Islamic and an Ummatic Party?

Mahmut KAR

Head of the Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Wilayah Turkey