Turkey’s Syria policies source of tension with neighbors: Analyst

Press TV has interviewed Hasan Unal, a professor of International Relations in Atilim University, in Ankara, and Mehmet Solmaz, a news editor at the Daily Sabah, in Istanbul, to discuss the security challenges that Turkey faces following terrorist attacks near its border with Syria.

Unal says no one wants to be in the government’s shoes in Turkey right now because the pro-Kurdish party is accusing Ankara of having intertwined relations with ISIL terrorists. The government is also under fire for the lack of security that has led to the recent terrorist attacks and other similar incidents throughout the country, the academic says.

Another general criticism the government faces concerning its Syria approach, Unal says, is that these policies have faltered if not collapsed altogether.

He also blames Ankara’s Syria policies for the strained relations between Turkey and other countries in the region, saying, “We have come down from zero problems with the neighbors to zero neighbors.”

Solmaz meanwhile, denies Ankara’s support for Takfiri groups in Syria. However, he says that Turkey will continue with its current strategy regarding Syria.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk