Opposition to US plans for east Syria unites fragile Astana trio
No daylight among Iran, Turkey and Russia in opposing US policies in Syria; Can Iraq mediate between the United States and Iran?
Hagel: US Syria policy "complete folly"
Despite differences over Idlib, the otherwise shaky Astana alliance of Russia, Iran and Turkey has been strengthened by opposition to US policy in eastern Syria, which former US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has labelled “complete folly.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov last month said, “The main danger to Syria’s territorial integrity originates from the eastern bank of the Euphrates, where independent and autonomous structures are created under the direct control of the United States.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan similarly said, “The biggest threat to Syria's future lies in the nests of terror to the east of the Euphrates, naming the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and the Democratic Union Party (PYD), both US allies in the fight against the Islamic State, as terrorist groups that must be brought down.”
