Turkey’s long-term objectives in Syria suggest limited cooperation with the US, Mehmet Rakipoglu, director for Turkish Studies at the Mokha Center for Strategic Studies, told Sputnik as he commented on Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s recent claims about the "growing consensus" on Syria between Washington and Ankara.
"Unlike other actors in Syria, Turkey has achieved notable gains and is positioned to play a decisive role in the [Arab] country’s political and social transformation. Turkey is unlikely to share these achievements with the US in a broader collaborative framework," Rakipoglu said.
While both the US and Turkey "share an interest" in the fall of the al-Assad government, "their divergent approaches to key actors, such as the PYD [a Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)], create significant barriers to deeper alignment," according to the analyst.
On the other hand, US President-elect Donald Trump "might be open to negotiations and limited partnerships that align with Turkey’s goals. This pragmatic approach could pave the way for selective, issue-based" bilateral cooperation, Rakipoglu added.
As for the two’s common goal of combating ISIS*, given that the terrorist group’s presence in Syria "has been vastly diminished, such cooperation seems unlikely soon," the pundit concluded.
*ISIS (Daesh, ISIL, Islamic State) is a terrorist group banned in Russia and many other countries