Expert: New conflict is being formed in Syria (video)
A demilitarized zone will be created in the Syrian province of Idlib. Such an agreement was reached during the meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi yesterday. "This is an opportunity for Turkey to legitimize its presence in Syria, and Russia is trying to make some differences with NATO through such cooperation," said Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan, head of the Voskanapat analytical center. Iran and the United States welcomed this kind of negotiations. According to expert Hrant-Melik Shahnazaryan, despite the fact that Iran has always been against Turkey's advancement, now it understands that it is facing serious challenges. The Syrian government does not encourage the creation of a demilitarized zone. Release of Idlib from radical opposition fighters is one of Syria's resolutions. "Certainly, the Syrian authorities have expressed dissatisfaction with saying that if there are problems in that area, then they will have to intervene in military way," says the expert. "The increasing role of Russia and Turkey in this region is full of dangers," says the expert, bringing the example of yesterday's destruction of the Russian IL-20 airplane, as a result of which 15 Russian servicemen died. "Today, we have witnessed Israel's lowdown against the Russia. The West will stand next to Israel, Turkey-next to Russia." This suggests that building peaceful relationships will be postponed for several months. And sending Armenian troops to Syria in this background is not justified, Hrant Melik Shahnazaryan expresses. "We have provided humanitarian aid to Syria regularly, and we have tried not to become a tool in the hands of other states. This, unfortunately, has been overcome by the new authorities." The expert believes that this is purely the demand of the Russian side. "The Russians have always tried to provide international assistance to Syria and to increase the presence of the CSTO." A few days ago Deputy Defense Minister Gabriel Balayan explained that Armenia will not send soldiers to Syria, but it will send demining specialists and doctors who will help the Armenian population of Aleppo.
