SYRIAN CORRIDOR TO THE WEST

Syria was the last frontier in the global "Arab Spring" epic. The developments that began in the Middle East in 2010, which seemed like "popular uprisings" to many at the time, had a domino effect that triggered the overthrow of the ruling regimes in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. Syria, being the last bastion of secular power, became a scene of a conflict of interest of regional and global players. The events that began in the city of Deraa in 2011 soon turned into a civil war. At the beginning, Western countries and Turkey considered the events to be short-term with an optimal end like in the states that had already experienced the "Arab Spring". But after more than five years, the Syrian conflict is still not resolved and remains the main issue on the agenda of world politics. This whole situation has confused the plans of participants in the "great game" in the Middle East, and the light at the end of the tunnel is not visible yet.

As one of the most ambitious countries in the region, Turkey advocated a change of power in the revolution countries from the very start of the "Arab Spring" in unison with Western powers, especially the United States. Despite the fact that Ankara and Damascus enjoyed an atmosphere of friendship and brotherhood in 2002-2010, the leaderships of the two countries became hostile to each other after the start of the conflict in Syria. The common land border with a length of 877 km, historical background, ethnic and religious factors - all these circumstances forced Turkey to take part in the Syrian twist. Specialists are divided on this issue. If for some the civil war is a source of serious problems for Turkish foreign policy, in the opinion of others, the conflict creates new opportunities for Ankara to strengthen its position in the region. But at the moment, the Syrian opposition forces have not been able to topple the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. In addition, the opposition itself is unable to coordinate what is happening, and they even fight each other occasionally, making the situation in the country even more deplorable. In the international aspect, Syria has become an arena for a global war of all against all, where each participant determines its own strategy. And for Turkey, along with regional policy, this battle has become one of the main indicators of the quality of relations with international organizations.

Security prospects and NATO parameters

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), as the most important security organization of the post-war world order, was created to protect continental Europe from the Soviet threat. Due to the geopolitical position and because of the foreign policy during the Second World War, there were serious security risks for Turkey. Foreign policy realities forced Turkey to join NATO in 1952 and become a very influential member of the alliance during the Cold War. However, after the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s and the Eastern bloc lost its value, Turkey's role for the North Atlantic Organization weakened significantly. At the same time, the NATO mission demanded reforms as the communist threat no longer existed. Changing its concept of security, NATO continued its activities in accordance with the new geopolitical realities. It was also promoted by new conflicts against the backdrop of the vacuum that took shape in international politics after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Today, the developments that are taking place in the Middle East enhance the role and importance of Turkey. The involvement of regional and global players in the Syrian civil war and the threat this war poses to both the region and Europe force the whole world to put safety first.

The conflict between Russia, which openly supports the Assad government, and Turkey, which supports the Syrian opposition, reached its peak on 24 November 2015. It was on that day that the Turkish Air Force exercised its right to use weapons and shot down a Russian military plane near the Syrian-Turkish border, which had violated the air borders of Turkey. As already mentioned, this event provoked serious disagreement between the two countries, which began to impose all sorts of economic and political sanctions on each other. Turkey is making maximum use of all this, as well as the recent crisis with the downing of the Russian plane and the events in Syria as a tool to increase its power and influence within NATO. Using the importance of the alliance, Ankara is trying to strengthen its position in the region. In this context, we can cite as an example the deployment on Turkish territory of Patriot air defence missiles to ensure the safety of the airspace. Also, do not forget that using the Syrian card, Turkey more confidently participates in decision-making within NATO. It is notable that immediately after the incident with the Russian military aircraft, Turkish officials, in addition to assertions of sovereignty violations, emphasized the principles of mutual aid between members of the North Atlantic bloc. Using this event, Turkey is trying to force NATO to secure a turn of events in Syria, which would be beneficial to its political interests. Being inferior to Russia in military might, Turkey hopes for more active intervention by NATO, if such incidents take place between Turkey and Russia in the Syrian issue. If you look at the statements of Turkish and NATO officials, you can say that this goal has already been achieved to a certain extent.

New security challenges and the European Union

International terrorism, transnational crime, environmental problems and migration are becoming increasingly pressing issues facing the Western world. Millions of Syrians were forced to leave their homes as a result of the war. In this regard, in addition to the humanitarian issue, regional powers and the European countries are extremely concerned about security issues too. Refugees from Syria brought a threat to Turkey with them. So far, according to unconfirmed reports, the number of refugees from Syria has reached 4m, and 2.5m of them have settled in Turkey. Because of that, the latter is faced with economic and social problems, and the reliability of the south-eastern borders of the Republic of Turkey is called into question. The international community initially treated this issue with indifference. However, Syrian refugees have begun to migrate through Turkey and Greece to Europe in the past year, bringing new challenges to the Old World. Terrorists, often masquerading as refugees, penetrate Europe. European countries, especially Germany, faced with an influx of migrants, cannot stop growing nationalism, which is gaining popularity in society.

And here again we are seeing the role of Turkey as a kind of buffer zone to prevent migration. These processes and challenges open new opportunities in relations between Turkey and the EU. Negotiations on accession to the EU, blocked in recent years, received a new impetus due to the above facts. There is relatively positive rhetoric in EU reports on Turkey. EU countries offered Turkey financial assistance to address the issue of Syrian refugees both on behalf of the EU and separately. On the one hand, Turkish officials are trying to increase the size of this assistance as much as possible and facilitate their burden, and on the other, they are trying to use the refugee issue as an argument in negotiations on accession to the EU.

Finally, relying on the values of the Western world, Turkey strengthens its reputation as a country that does not remain indifferent to the humanitarian problems of the region and thereby improves its reputation in the eyes of the EU.

Although in the short-term, Turkey's membership in the EU does not seem realistic, the redirection of financial flows from the EU to Turkey can be considered a victory for Turkish politicians. Ultimately, being in a losing situation in the Syrian issue, Turkey is trying to use the above factors in its relations with NATO and the EU to compensate for its losses. Analyzing the recent developments, we can say that for the time being, the Turkish leadership is able to do so.