The Kurdish and especially the cooperation of the Americans with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) based in Syriaseems to be gaining in importance for Turkish-American relations after Trump’s election. Ankara considers the SDF to be an extension of the PKK and therefore a threat to the integrity of Turkey. Turkey’s relations with Syria – despite promises of a peace agreement – are still not good, Yesterday Presidents Assad and Erdogan participated together with other leaders in the extraordinary joint summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Arabia, however there was no meeting between them. In fact, the Turkish president left the room during the speech of the Syrian president.

While Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly invited the Syrian side for talks aimed at normalizing bilateral relations, Assad has made it a condition for the withdrawal of Turkish forces from northern Syria.

News made in Syria?

His election Donald Trump and the rumors that the American president may remove the American force from Syria mobilized Ankara. Yesterday, in his statements to the Turkish newspaper Milliet, the Foreign Minister. Hakan Fidan said: “We constantly remind our American counterparts that they must stop their cooperation with the terrorist organization in Syria.” But President Erdogan may try to preempt the Americans through a cross-border operation in Syria, as he hinted at in remarks two days ago on the anniversary of Kemal Ataturk’s death. In essence, he announced that the operations of the Turkish army on Syrian territory will begin again.

“In the next period we will complete the missing links in the chain of the security zone that we have created along the border,” he said. “We will completely cut off contact between terrorist organizations and our borders. Operations to eliminate the separatist terrorist organization as a threat to our country will continue. We will use all our means to the fullest.”

Ankara can take advantage of the vacuum left until President-elect Trump takes office in January to create a deed in its relations with Damascus.