US and Turkey ‘lock arms’ to work together in Syria

The US and Turkey have agreed to "lock arms" and work together in northern Syria after holding crisis talks aimed at pulling the relationship between the two Nato allies back from the brink.

Tensions had escalated over Turkey’s incursion into Afrin in Syria, now in its 28th day, targeting the YPG Kurdish militia that has controlled the northwestern province since 2012.

The Kurdish group has become a top US ally in the fight against Islamic State – also known as Isis – in Syria but Turkey considers it a national security threat.

But in Ankara on Friday, Rex Tillerson, US secretary of state, said three hours of late-night talks with Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's president, had been constructive.

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Speaking alongside Mevlut Cavusoglu, his Turkish counterpart, Mr Tillerson said the two countries had agreed a joint plan for addressing Ankara's concerns about the YPG and US priorities on tackling Isis, the jihadi group.

“We are not going to act alone any longer,” Mr Tillerson said. “We are going to work together from this point forward. We are going to lock arms.”

After weeks of harsh anti-US rhetoric from Turkey’s political leadership, Mr Cavusoglu said he was optimistic about the prospects for restoring trust with Washington. The change in tone will be welcomed by diplomats and foreign investors anxious that ties between the two countries were locked in a downward spiral.

The agreement proposes a plan for the contested Syrian town of Manbij, controlled by YPG allies. Mr Cavosoglu said the US had promised to ask YPG forces to leave Manbij, where some American troops are also based.

“Once the YPG is out of there, we can take steps forward with the US,” he said.

Mr Tillerson neither confirmed nor denied Mr Cavosoglu’s claim, but said that Manbij would be a priority for a working group to thrash out the main issues between the two countries.

Radical groups

Yet such a plan raises questions over how Washington will continue to balance its relationship with Turkey and with its Kurdish allies in a region critical to its efforts to fight radical groups such as Isis.

Newaf Xelil, a former Syrian Kurdish official, said a Turkish military presence in Manbij would shake US-Kurdish relations, and cited concerns that Ankara could pressure Washington to force Kurdish-led forces out of other territory they seized from Isis – including Raqqa, the group’s de facto seat.

“How do we know,” Mr Xelil said, “that next Turkey doesn’t ask for a withdrawal from Raqqa? From Tel Abyad? And so on.”

Syria’s seven-year civil war has become multi-sided conflict that has allowed the YPG and jihadi groups to carve out enclaves. In recent months, the struggle has become increasingly internationalised, as the US-Turkish dispute illustrates.

Turkey has long been uneasy about US support for Kurdish militias in northern Syria. The US sees them as the most effective fighting force against Isis while Ankara says they are an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ party, with which it has fought a three-decade war.

Mr Erdogan was enraged when the US announced last month that it planned to support a “border force” for Kurdish-run areas. In addition to the Afrin offensive, the Turkish president threatened to attack Manbij and accused the US of breaking a promise not to allow a YPG-led force to take the town.

‘Ottoman slap’

Last week, a commander of the US-led coalition visited a border post in Manbij and warned Turkey it would hit back hard against any attacks. Mr Erdogan countered that anyone who made such threats had clearly “never experienced an Ottoman slap”.

Beyond Syria, US-Turkish relations have been at their lowest point in decades. Ankara is furious at what is sees as US reluctance to extradite Fethullah Gulen, the cleric accused of masterminding the coup attempt of July 2016.

Policymakers in Washington, meanwhile, are deeply alarmed by Turkey’s apparent determination to push ahead with the purchase of a Russian S-400 missile defence system, fuelling fears that Ankara is breaking away from its western moorings.

Mr Tillerson said he had warned Mr Erdogan of the possibility that the US Congress could impose sanctions if Turkey proceeded with the purchase.

In a press conference he said such legislation aimed to target Russia, not US allies, but added: “We want to consult with Turkey and at least make sure that they understand what is at risk with this particular transaction.” – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2018