Erdogan's U-turns and the possibility of a new Adana Accord
August 22, 2022, 10:40 am

Erdogan's U-turns and the possibility of a new Adana Accord

Zara Saleh1

Following his failure to obtain the green light from Russia and the US to launch a new military invasion against Syrian Kurds, Turkish President Erdogan who is well-known as a pragmatic politician began to look for an alternative plan that might fulfil his main strategy in Syria.

Furthermore, in recent two visits to Tehran and Sochi when Erdogan met with his Iranian and Russian counterparts at Astana Summit, then with Russian President Putin, he was completely sure of not having support from his counterparts. Despite his support for the Syrian opposition since the beginning of the Syrian conflict in 2011, Turkish President Erdogan now seriously looking for an agreement with the Syrian regime as both countries are following the Russian instructions and Putin's plan as an umbrella for a political agreement in Syria.

The significant signal of Erdogan's U-turns came straight away after his meeting with Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky and he said, “We don’t have such an issue as whether to defeat Assad or not,”. Moreover, Erdogan was clear to declare his main strategy in Syria was to fight the Kurds and prevent any "Kurdish state or federalism" and, of course, he shares such interests with Assad as they both consider Kurds as a common enemy.

Since the beginning of the Syrian conflict in 2011, Turkey had four invasion military operations and had occupied Syrian territories. However, Erdogan now is ready for a political dialogue with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad to "high steps" as he said as both countries never ever cut their security relations even during the conflict.

The possibility of diplomatic dialogue between Turkey and the Syrian regime under Putin's umbrella is, now, more likely as such a plan can fulfil the interests of all sides. In other words, Russia wants such strategic coordination against the United States' presence in northeast Syria and its ally the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

In fact, Russia and Turkey have agreed that the Syrian Kurds are controlling northeast Syria and they put their hands over the main economic resources such as oil and water. Consequently, cutting the ties between the US and Kurds or any agreement between Assad and Erdogan, definitely, will be the main agenda of Putin and Erdogan and that will be of common interest to the Syrian regime and even the Iranian regime as well.

Based on the fact of international relationships and political interests which are the key to the relations between countries, Ankara and Damascus are more likely to begin political talks exceeding their intelligence ties under Russian supervision. The new Adana Accord agreement could be discussed between Erdogan and Assad on the Kremlin table of negotiations and without doubt, Ankara and Damascus are ready to reach an agreement especially when it comes to the Kurds.

BY: Zara Saleh

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”