Disintegrated Syria to affect Turkey: Iranian ex-envoy

ISTANBUL

The disintegration of Syria could have a devastating effect on Turkey since the country’s demography is similar to Syria’s, Iran’s former ambassador to Damascus has said, adding that Turkey’s policy toward Syria was a complete failure.

“The Syria disintegration policy adopted by Qatar and Saudi Arabia could have a devastating effect on Turkey since the country’s demography is similar to Syria’s,” Hossein Sheikholeslam wrote in the Tehran Times.

“Ankara was harshly criticized for providing blatant support to the rebels, and as the situation deteriorated, Turkey’s policy toward Syria proved to be a complete failure,” said Sheikholeslam, who is currently the Iranian parliamentary speaker’s adviser on international issues.

Ankara had predicted that the Syrian government would “rapidly collapse and that Syria would become their backyard,” he said.

“However, the crisis in Syria has created new problems for Turkey, especially the rising security threats emanating from its Kurdish regions,” he said.

“Turkey has a considerable degree of influence on the Syrian opposition,” said Sheikholeslam. “Saudi Arabia and Qatar have [also] used Turkish territory to provide funds and weapons to the Syrian rebels.”