Syria’s Sharaa makes moves towards Abraham Accords to reduce Turkish influence
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (Photo credit: Getty Images / Tom Nicholson, Adam Smigieski, Emarto, Reuters / Remo Casilli. Karam al-Masri)
While Erdogan does everything to delegitimize Israel, any agreement between Israel and Syria “also undermines Turkey’s strategy,” Yanarocak told Maariv.
By getting closer to Israel, Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa essentially tries to reduce Turkish influence in Damascus, Dr. Hay Eytan Cohenocak of Tel Aviv University for Dr. Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak of the Middle East and African Maariv Wednesday.
Sharaa is trying to reduce dependence on Turkey without completely breaking the ties, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan looks at a concern that was once under his influence could join the Abraham agreements.
Is Turkey’s influence in Syria strong enough to prevent it from joining? A complex geopolitical struggle to take place with Turkey in the center.
Turkey considers each stage that Damascus makes to join the Abraham agreements as a direct threat to the regional position of Ankara.
Sharaa’s motivations are far from ideological, however, supports Yanarocak. “Sharaa makes this decision not because he is Zionist, but because he gives him a kind of independence from Turkey,” he said.
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa (L) and the president of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) attend a joint press conference at the presidential palace in Ankara, Turkey, February 4, 2025. (Credit: Reuters / Cagla Gurdogan)
A closer relationship with Israel opens the door of the new Syrian government so that the sanctions occur and approach the rich Gulf states, which represents a key to economic independence and the security of the sphere of influence of Turkey.
However, Turkey’s influence in Syria is not only hypothetical. “Turkish intelligence was in fact the first international organization to carry out an official open visit to Syria after the fall of Assad,” said Yanarocak.
“Northern Syria is still actually under Turkish Occupation. The Turks offer a lot of infrastructure to airports and transport in Syria,” he added.
Not only that, but “an important part of the cabinet and leadership of Syria studied in Turkey, while some are Turkish citizens, and most of them have links with Turkey,” said Yanarocak.
The new geopolitics of the Middle East also shapes the position of Turkey.
Turkey benefits from the weakening of Israel of Iran
“Iran and Turkey are historic rivals. The Turks do not admit it, but they really benefit from the result of the last war, namely the humiliation of the Iranians,” analyzed Yanarocak.
In the wake of the humiliation of Iran, Turkey can now qualify as a Muslim power in the Middle East, “he added.
The result is a new reality where “at the top of the Middle East, as regional powers, who see? Only Israel and Turkey,” said Yanarocak Maariv.
Given this, Syria becomes the central zone of friction expected between Israel and Turkey, noted Yanarocak.
“I really think Turkey will make efforts to make sure that Syrians do not sign this agreement,” he said.
This is due to the way Turkey “wants the Syrians to stay with Qatar. They also want to see isolated Israel”.
While Erdogan does everything to delegitimize Israel, any agreement between Israel and Syria “also undermines Turkey’s strategy,” he added.
