Russia and Turkey in Syria:
Rivalry or Alignment?
by Ioannis Chouliaras
During the last decade, Syria emerged as an arena of both cooperation and competition between Turkey and Russia. This paper examines the two countries’ main interests in and policies towards the Syrian Civil War within the context of their broader relationship and foreign policy goals. It seeks to shed light on the question of whether their cooperation in Syria is more of a temporary and tactical nature, with their overall interaction remaining adversarial, or it represents a more fundamental alignment of interests between Moscow and Ankara. The paper will take into consideration the importance of the Syrian conflict for each country’s foreign policy and security strategy, as well as how Syria influences the wider relationship between Moscow and Ankara and their intersection in other significant geopolitical issues.
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