PNN – In an important event today, CNN news channel announced the meeting of Zionist officials with some members of the new Syrian government in the Republic of Azerbaijan.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network, in an interview with CNN, an informed Zionist source claimed that these negotiations were held in the Republic of Azerbaijan, where Major General Oded Basiuk, the head of the Israeli army’s operations department, met with the representatives of the new Syrian government. According to this report, the Turkish authorities were also present in these meetings and played the role of mediator.
The choice of Azerbaijan as the venue for these talks can be an indication of the effort to keep these talks away from the tense atmosphere of the region, as well as the role of the two countries of Azerbaijan and Turkey in the developments of recent months in Syria, as well as the desire of Baku and Ankara to influence the development process of the Abraham Accords and the joining of Central Asian countries in the process of establishing relations with the Zionist regime.
However, in an official statement, the Israeli army refused to confirm or deny the holding of these meetings in Azerbaijan and emphasized that no direct negotiations have taken place between officials and representatives of the Syrian government. This official action by the Zionist army has created more uncertainties about the nature and level of these negotiations and has increased speculations about the goals behind the scenes of these meetings.
Israeli general Oded Basiuk is said to have met with Syrian officials.
On the other hand, the meeting of Donald Trump, the President of the United States of America, with Ahmad al-Shara (known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani), and the head of the Syrian Transitional Government in Riyadh is considered a major diplomatic development in itself. According to Türkiye’s Anatolia news agency, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of this country, was also present in this conversation virtually. This call, which was made after years of severe economic and political sanctions and the complete severance of diplomatic relations between Washington and Damascus, could be a sign of a turn in American foreign policy towards Syria. At the same time, it is said that the Zionist regime does not agree with Trump’s agenda in this case and considers the removal of sanctions against this country as a loss.
For more than a decade, especially after the beginning of the Syrian crisis in 2011, the United States accused the country’s regime of violating human rights and supporting terrorism, and imposed heavy sanctions against Damascus under the name of “Caesar’s Law”. Of course, it is still not clear whether the meeting between Trump and Al-Sharia will pay off in Washington’s practical policy, or will it remain a diplomatic maneuver like the meeting between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un or not?
The White House announced in an official statement that the Trump administration has presented a set of clear and decisive demands to the new Syrian regime. These demands include Syria joining the Abraham Accords (agreements to normalize relations between Israel and some Arab countries mediated by the United States), expelling Palestinian fighters and other foreign groups from Syrian territory, accepting the responsibility of managing detention centers for members of the ISIS terrorist group in northeastern Syria, and actively cooperating to prevent the group from strengthening again.
In addition, the White House claimed that the Syrian president has shown an unprecedented and positive approach towards Washington and, in an unexpected move, has invited American companies to invest in Syria’s oil and gas sector. This invitation could indicate Damascus’s attempt to rebuild the country’s devastated economy after years of civil war and international sanctions, although the acceptance of such an offer by American companies is still uncertain due to the existing legal and political complications.
In this regard, the Associated Press reported in a report this week that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked Donald Trump not to lift the sanctions imposed on Syria. This request was apparently made with the aim of maintaining pressure on Damascus and preventing the strengthening of the position of the new Syrian regime.
However, Israel has not officially confirmed or denied the report. On the other hand, it seems that Trump ignored Netanyahu’s request and took a different path in exchange for the regime in Damascus. A senior Israeli source said in an interview with Maariv newspaper: President Trump has given Syria an opportunity to prove that the policy of the new leadership of this country is completely different from the policies of Bashar al-Assad. If after some time it turns out that this claim is not true, it should be noted that the lifting of sanctions is not an irreversible action and it can be returned. What is important now are President Trump’s demands from Syria, including the expulsion of terrorists from this country and ensuring that there is no threat to Israel’s security. These statements show that Israel is observing the diplomatic development between Syria and America with great displeasure and caution.
If the change in Washington’s policy towards Syria becomes serious, America may gradually put pressure on the Zionist regime to reduce the interventions in this country’s territory and even withdraw from the Syrian areas occupied by this regime.
At the same time, Zayed al-Efas efforts of Türkiye and Azerbaijan to improve the relations between the new Syria and the Zionist regime itself are worthy of attention. Some time ago, Yediot Aharonot newspaper reported that Turkey sent a message to Israel, during which Ankara demanded that Israel take Ahmed al-Shara seriously and give him a serious chance to create a different future.
Türkiye considered instability in Syria to be in line with Iran’s interests and asked the Zionists to give the new Syrian government a chance to prove its brotherhood.
Türkiye even demanded the formation of an agreement to regulate the interventions of Ankara and Tel Aviv in Syria. Turkey’s proposal to Israel in this case was to consider northern Syria as Turkey’s zone of influence, and the Zionist regime to coordinate its demands in this area with Turkey, and to recognize southern Syria as Israel’s zone of influence. Israeli media reported that Tel Aviv rejected this offer.