Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan tried to persuade the ringleader of the Kremlin Putin to stop support the Assad regime, reports Turkish press. However, he faced not only a flat refusal, but also obvious threats from Putin.
Turkish newspaper Aydinlik published a transcript of a telephone conversation allegedly held 8 October 8 between Erdogan and Putin:
According to the newspaper, a part of the conversation was as follows:
Putin: "If even a single Turkish soldier crosses the Syrian border, Russia will react very harshly".
Erdogan: "Is that a threat? It is unacceptable for us".
Putin: "Think what you like, I had my word".
According to the newspaper, Erdogan after these words hung up the phone and ended the conversation with Putin.
Meanwhile pro-Assad Syrian press reported that the phone was allegedly halted by Putin, and not by Erdogan.
Third sources believe that such a conversation has never taken place at all and it was just an invention which is intended to exacerbate tensions in the relations between Turkey and Russia.
We would like to point out in this connection that an indirect indication that the conversation in a raised voice between Erdogan and Putin could really take place is evidenced by sharp worsening of Turkish-Russian relations on October 10, after Ankara forced to land a plane with 35 passengers aboard, bound from Moscow's Vnukovo airport to Damascus.
Ankara referred to its intelligence data that the plane carried a military cargo. After hours of searching, the plane was allowed to continue its flight to Syria. The cargo was confiscated.
It was also stated that there were 17 agents of Russian secret services on board.
Turkish prime minister Erdogan said that Russian military equipment and ammunition had been found on the aircraft. According to him, the recipient of the cargo was the ministry of defense of Syria, and the sender - one of Russian military-industrial complexes.
After this incident, Putin cancelled his visit to Ankara for talks that had been earlier planned. The official version of the cancellation is that it was only postponed. However, according to unofficial sources, the visit was simply cancelled.
Against this background, there was a sharp tightening of Ankara's position towards the Assad regime. Turkey regularly strikes on Syria in response to Syrian attacks in border areas.
In addition, as indicated by sources in Syria, Turkish intelligence agents significantly increased their presence in the country. An impressive military group is deployed at the border, which, according to experts, suggests that Turkey does not rule out a military intervention in Syria.
Department of Monitoring
Kavkaz Center
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