Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit Moscow and meet with Vladimir Putin on 9 March, the head of Turkey Russian President will take the next day. Tripartite negotiations are planned, said press Secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov.
Claims to Iran
Netanyahu’s visit to Russia will be the fourth in the last year and a half. Sunday, March 5, at the government meeting he said that at the meeting with Putin intends to raise the issue of the Syrian settlement, and Express “vigorous” protest against Tehran plans to establish a permanent military presence in Syria. Netanyahu is going to require the inclusion of the conditions of the withdrawal of Iranian troops from Syria in any agreement for a peaceful settlement in the country, reports Haaretz. The Prime Minister also hopes to be able to “reach an understanding with Moscow in order to reduce the likelihood of friction between the troops” (quoted by “RIA Novosti”). During his visit to 2015, Russia and Israel have developed a joint mechanism to prevent possible conflicts in the Syrian sky, about even any conflict situations, the military of the two countries said.
The visit to Moscow was preceded by Netanyahu’s trip to London and Washington, where he tried to enlist the support of the leadership of both countries as on the Palestinian-Israeli and the Iranian issue. Israeli Prime Minister called on the Prime Minister of great Britain Teresa may and U.S. President Donald trump to create a United front against the growing “Iranian aggression”.
The head of the government of Israel believes that Iran is trying to consolidate its presence in Syria through the deployment of troops and can launch military action against tel Aviv to the Golan heights. The Israeli authorities, according to Reuters, concerned about the steadily growing influence of Iran in the region: in the six years of military conflict in Syria have force “of the Islamic revolutionary guard Corps” (IRGC). Iran also supports arming and funding the armed Lebanese Shiite organization “Hezbollah” fighters who are also fighting in Syria.
Iran is populated predominantly by Shiites, has repeatedly explained the presence of its forces in Syria by the need to protect Shiite shrines in the country. However, the chief of the General staff of the Iranian armed forces major General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri admitted in November last year that the Islamic Republic may be required in the future in Syria and Yemen naval base, which would act as an effective deterrent to opponents, reports CBS News.
Israel also fears the possible transfer of sophisticated weapons from Syria to Lebanon, from which Hezbollah can be plotted attacks on Israel. To prevent this, the Israeli air force regularly strike military targets on the Syrian territory, while the Israeli authorities usually do not comment on the actions of the military. However, in late December last year after the attack on the airfield al Mazza in the suburbs of Damascus, the defense Minister of Israel Avigdor Lieberman acknowledged that the actions of tel Aviv are aimed at preventing the transfer of weapons, particularly guided missiles.
Moscow to Israel’s actions in Syria is easy. In turn, Israel observes strict neutrality in the conflict between Damascus and the Syrian opposition, writes the Israeli TV channel 9tv.
Turkey and Iran also recently repeatedly criticized each other’s policies in Syria. The Syrian Ambassador to the UN Bashar ja’afari pointed out that Ankara cannot act as a guarantor of the ceasefire agreement in Syria as conducting throughout the country a military operation. Turkish politicians have filed counter-claims: Iran cannot be a guarantor of a truce and a peaceful settlement, as his forces are fighting on the side of the regime of Bashar al-Assad. The Minister of foreign Affairs of Turkey Mevlut Cavusoglu in February accused Iran that he wants to create a Shiite Alliance with Syria, but Turkey opposes any religious divide.
Crack Union
Russia recently has repeatedly stressed Iran’s role in the Syrian settlement. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pointed to the fact that Iran, like Turkey, knows the situation on the ground, which allows it to guarantee the ceasefire, which is observed from the end of last year.
Close and friendly relations between Damascus and Tehran developed long before the current political crisis in Syria, says a former Russian Ambassador to Iran Alexander Maryasov, expert of the International discussion club “Valdai”. “Iran has invested considerable financial resources in the development of the Syrian industrial and transport infrastructure, has provided Damascus a major loans for the development of economy and agriculture,” he explains. Iran, he said, actively participated in the creation of National defence forces Syria — military people’s militia, which numbered more than 100 thousand people.
Researcher at Princeton University, Seyed Hossein Mousavian, the former head of the international relations Committee of the Supreme national security Council of Iran, also points out that the main reason for Iran’s participation in Syrian military action against extremists. However, he also stressed that Tehran is interested in preserving territorial integrity and the state institutions of Syria, to prevent the creation of a “platform” against the Iranian interests.
To demand from Russia the exclusion of Iran from among the countries — guarantors of the truce in Syria is completely not rational and not constructive as it currently ensures compliance with governmental armies of Syria cease-fire, says Leonid Isayev, a senior lecturer of the Higher school of Economics. “Russia understands that its efforts are insufficient to answer for the actions of the Syrian army,” he says.
Russia, according to Isaeva, will not speak openly against Iran, but will gradually move away from it in the direction of Turkey, as the Russian policy is more focused on the restoration of relations with the West. USA, Turkey and Israel will try to push Russia away from Iran, offering cooperation in the field of safety and a better interaction model for Syria, meaning actually not so much the fight against ISIS, as the confrontation with Iran, experts say.
At the talks with Erdogan will focus on the further restoration of trade-economic ties and cooperation between the two countries in resolving the Syrian crisis, reported the press service of the Kremlin. The visit of the Turkish leader will be the second since August last year, when Moscow and Ankara agreed to restore relations, almost frozen after the Turkish air force in the fall of 2015 brought down a Russian su-24 bomber.
Strengthen relations have not prevented a series of tragic events: the murder of the Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov in Ankara, the deaths in Syria three Turkish soldiers were killed from the impact of the Russian HQs.
On the strengthening of cooperation between Russia, Turkey and the United States evidenced by the meeting of the chief of the General staff of the Russian Armed forces Valery Gerasimov. So, on March 6, he met in Antalya with the head of Turkish General staff Hulusi Akar and chief of the Committee of chiefs of staffs of armed forces of the United States Joseph Dunford. With Dunford Gerasimov met for the second time in the last month, before the chiefs of General Staffs of Russia and the USA met in 2014.
