Turkey’s shelling of Syria, classical act of war: Analyst

Press TV has interviewed Manuel Ochsenreiter, editor-in-chief of Zuerst in Berlin, to discuss the remarks made by the Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, saying Turkish artillery strikes on northern Syria are “absolute lawlessness".

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: First of all, I would like to get your opinion on the recent comments coming from the Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman about Turkey’s shelling of northern Syria being absolute lawlessness?

Ochsenreiter: Well it is a shame that that type of comment is only coming from the Russian foreign ministry and that not for example the countries of the European Union are condemning the Turkish politics because what we see right now is a very classical aggression, a very classical aggressive military act of one country against its neighboring country turned out by normal military forces.

So we do not speak anymore about Turkey financing, supporting and coordinating terrorist forces in the north of Syria. What Turkey is doing since 2011 in a very open way, nobody in the European Union criticizes them for that, so we are now seeing the next step of escalation. Turkey is now since their proxies, the terrorists are on a withdrawal operation because the Syrian army is pushing forward, now the Turkish army is using conventional military forces in Syria.

So that is a classical act of war. This is a classical aggression which should be immediately answered with sanctions, with embargoes and of course with the support for the defense forces of Syria which is the Syrian army, which is Hezbollah, which is the Iranian army and which is of course the Russian air force.   

Press TV: In an extraordinary meeting held by the Security Council, all 15 members of the council slammed Turkey for fueling tensions in war-ravaged Syria. We have also seen Ankara getting a lot of criticism for how it is conducting itself in Iraq as well. If this is illegal and these actions are “lawlessness”, then when will this lawlessness come to an end?  

Ochsenreiter: This lawlessness comes to an end in the moment when we stop doing rhetorical statements and issuing documents and papers and condemning on papers what Turkey is doing but when this lawlessness is answered by action.

If we see the perspective of Ankara, it is very, very easy what happens there. President Erdogan sees that he has the choice of two ways. So he has the choice of doing what he is right now doing, he gets rhetorical criticism but nobody really stops him. Why? Because he is one of the most important NATO countries, he leads one of the most important NATO countries - Turkey - and he is backed, of course, by the United States of America. He is also backed by a lot of powers inside the European Union, even by those who might condemn in public documents what Turkey is doing but supporting Turkey on the other side.

Erdogan will stop exactly in the moment when his actions against Syria and against Iraq will result in more disadvantages for him than in benefits. What does it mean a disadvantage for Turkey? A disadvantage means if they get strategically, tactically and in the military field opposed if they get resistance there.

The only power, the only two powers right now giving resistance or three powers, we have to be fairly, three powers giving resistance to Turkey is of course the Syrian army fighting the Turkish proxies in northern Syria, the Russian air force helping and supporting the Syrians and of course those Kurdish forces in Iraq and in Syria also fighting against the same terrorists supported by Ankara.  

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