YEREVAN, JUNE 21, ARMENPRESS. Director of the Oriental Institute of the NAS of Armenia Ruben Safrastyan says Turkey gives serious significance to Syria rather than the South Caucasian region.

“At this moment Turkey is facing possible serious geopolitical defeat. That’s why Turkey pushed Azerbaijan to go to the April aggression. But now, I don’t think that the Turkish diplomacy will take steps against such small diplomatic success of Russia. On the other hand, we must not forget that Azerbaijan with its aggressive behavior has always needed Turkey’s support. From this perspective, if the Azerbaijani leadership decides to unleash a new aggression, a new war, I am convinced that Turkey will provide great support to Azerbaijan”, “Armenpress” reports, Safrastyan said.

Referring to the events in Syria, he said everything is getting more entangled in Syria. He stated that the possibility of the Russian-American clashes is gradually increasing in Syria. “The last two statements issued by the Chiefs of the General Staff of the Armed forces of the two states are not a coincidence; the patience is running out one over the other. In these circumstances, Turkey loses its positions since it worsened the relations with the “Islamic State” last year and has already managed to receive several blows in terms of terrorist attacks in its territory. This means Turkey within the years lost the results of showing support to the “Islamic State”, he stated.

He said after that Turkey tried to establish relations with “Jabhat al-Nusra” extremist group operating in Syria, however, the Syrian authorities with the support of Russia have more strengthened the attacks against this group.

“In this regard, Turkey is unable to strengthen this group in order to solve its problems. On the other hand, losing the “Islamic State” in Syria, Turkey has also weakened its diplomatic and exerting pressure opportunities. Now Syrian opposition forces are less taking into account Turkey. In other words, all Turkey’s efforts to reach its geopolitical goals in Syria failed”, he said.

Safrastyan considers also dangerous the Kurdish factor for Turkey stating that Kurdish autonomy in the northern Syria is gradually being strengthened. “This is a long-term process, and Turkey cannot have any impact on this. This means that Turkey eventually saw the Kurdish autonomy in the territory of Syria and Turkish border which did not exist until Turkey’s mediation to the Syrian conflict. In other words, the problems issued by Turkey were not resolved, but rather, Turkey faced new problems in terms of the refugees and the Kurdish autonomy. That’s why I think that under the pressures by the armed forces the Turkish leadership will be forced to weaken its activity in Syria”, Safrastyan said adding that only in this case Turkey may increase its diplomatic activity in the South Caucasus. He said Turkey is not such a state which can enable itself to run active diplomacy at several directions.