Turkey 'Normalizes' Syria, Forgetting 13 Years of Meddling
Al-Monitor announces Turkey's appointment of Nuh Yilmaz as ambassador to Syria, marking the first such diplomatic step in 13 years. The piece frames this as a significant thaw, suggesting Ankara's 'push for coordination' with Damascus. What's omitted from this narrative, however, is that Turkey wasn't merely a passive observer for those 13 years; it was an active participant in destabilizing
Syria, deploying troops, backing various proxy groups, and seizing Syrian territory, violating international law (as documented by the UNGA and UNSC resolutions condemning foreign intervention in Syria, especially since 2011). This 'normalization' comes after years of Turkish incursions and support for factions that exacerbated the Syrian conflict. Ankara's newfound desire for diplomacy is less
about genuine reconciliation and more about realigning regional interests, especially concerning Kurdish self-governance in Northern Syria. It seems 13 years of backing one side, then installing an ambassador, is how you quietly re-write the history of your own intervention, calling it 'coordination.' It's a miracle diplomats bother with pens when they have such convenient blackouts.