Following a US administration decision made three months ago to appoint an ambassador to the Syrian capital after a hiatus of four years, European Union Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighborhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner said the EU had been close to agreeing on an offer to Syria for closer ties on Sept. 4."Engaging with Syria is absolutely in our interest," Ferrero-Waldner told journalists at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Stockholm. She also noted that despite reservations, she is confident that the agreement will be signed in the near future and that the EU should keep Syria's actions under scrutiny, but also encourage the country to respect human rights and the rule of law more. Ferrero-Waldner added that the agreement would not only include principles of cooperation between the union and Syria but also some obligations concerning having a positive influence in the Middle East.
In stark contrast to the current warming of relations with the West, at the beginning of this decade Syria was harshly criticized for its alleged support of terrorism. Furthermore, Syria has been accused of backing the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri in 2005.
Hüsnü Mahalli, an expert on Syria, praised efforts by President Abdullah Gül and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to help Syria mend fences with the Western world. “Abdullah Gül, who was foreign minister at the time, and Prime Minister Erdoğan have since 2003 has reiterated that the Syrian leadership is sincere in its desire to establish peace in the region through every contact they have with European and American politicians. They warned the US administration that if they close the doors to Syria, the country will be marginalized. The contrary would embolden Syria to aim for better relations, a move that would result in easing liberalization and expanding freedoms in the country,” Mahalli said, underlining that Bashar al-Assad is an open-minded politician who was educated in Europe.
Mahalli pointed to an increasing number of visits by US diplomats to Damascus during the Obama administration, saying: “Even though there were some ties in the Bush era, the number of diplomatic visits to Syria rose during the Obama administration and certainly opened a new period in relations. Congressmen and senators as well as the president's special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, visited Damascus many times.” He also noted that Syrian politicians, and especially the foreign minister, have not wasted any time in creating links with European politicians and visiting almost every European capital.
Commenting on Syria's strategic importance to the region, Mahalli said Syria has a significant role to play in establishing peace in the Middle East, in regional political balances, in the Israel-Palestine conflict and in ensuring stability in Iraq and Lebanon. Western powers should utilize the Syrian position in the region, and Turkey is a key player in having a close link with this country, he added.
Agreeing with Mahalli, Joshua Landis, the co-director of the Center for Middle East Studies and an associate professor at the University of Oklahoma, touched upon Turkey's relationship with Syria when he said Syria values Turkey's support over almost all other Middle Eastern countries. This gives Turkey considerable influence in Damascus. When Ankara asked Damascus to begin talks with Israel, Damascus complied, in part to strengthen its relations with Turkey.
Explaining the reasons behind Turkey's influence in Syria, he emphasized Turkey's role in Syria's plans for economic growth. “Turks, who are from the largest number of foreign entrepreneurs, have been opening new businesses in Syria. Syrian-Turkish trade doubled in three years to $2 billion in 2008,” added Landis.
He also raised the point that if the Kurdish initiative, recently launched by the government, is successful, reaching a sustainable and permanent solution to Turkey's Kurdish question, the Turkish government's success in forging a new, more equitable relationship between Turks and Kurds will surely influence Syria. If Turkey is successful in accommodating Kurds, it will help Syria do the same. In particular, it will pave the way for the Syrian government to offer the same to the 250,000 Kurds living in Syria.
“Assad is keenly aware of Turkey's role in assisting Syria to break out of its isolation, grow its economy and improve its leverage within the Middle East and international community. The fact that the Syrian government gave up [jailed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah] Öcalan, ended its support for Kurdish militias fighting Turkey and tried to put the Hatay affair behind it, as well as opening up the border with Turkey to free trade and ease movement of people, is a very big turnaround. Syria has done all this despite Turkey's very ambitious plans for Euphrates water, which hurts Syria,” said Landis when asked to explain the factors that were significant in improving Syrian-Turkish relations.
He also offered a personal anecdote, saying that when Syrian Ambassador to the US Imad Moustapha visited his university, he had responded to a question, saying, “Turkey, not Iran, is Syria's best friend.”
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