How transition be with Assad?

We spoke about the backstage the developments with an official at a time when Russia settled in Syria, German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Turkey and investigations to find the “superior mind” behind the Ankara blasts were ongoing. I had joined President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's visit to Moscow before Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice). This was a new situation. But this statement he made on the eve of Eid al Adha, became the victim of disputes in Turkey. Back then I had stated that we didn't know what kind of information the state had to make the president say these words.

During our three-hour conversation with the official, it was said the transition with Assad came up on the agenda during President Erdoğan's meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during his Moscow visit.

I had the chance to learn that the president's suggestion for a transition process with Assad on his return from Moscow was brought to the table at the U.N. summit during the meeting between U.S. President Barack Obama and Putin.

Syria is a live process. It is both alive and bloody. Solution proposals should be made according to the changing conditions. That's why it is a fantasy to blame Turkey with instability.

What hasn't been experienced when it is about Syria?

The transition process with Assad has been developed over Russian objections that “If Assad goes, Syria will collapse very fast.”

Behind it there is a power known as the nine countries which are effective on the Syrian issue.

Let Assad remain in charge but as an ineffective and unauthorized honorary president.

Meanwhile let them establish a transition administration. Let intelligence and the Syrian army be dependent not on Assad, but the Transitional Administration, let the Transitional Administration both prepare the country after Assad and the future of Assad. Russia's objections to prevent Assad from being by the court of war criminals, to provide life security for his family, and decide in which country he will live will be dependent on this administration.

During the meetings with Russia it was said "you get Assad then." Russia replied "An obstacle can emerge out of our relations with the West. He may be wanted from us as a criminal of war."

The transition process with Assad is on the table. Turkey will insist on this issue. But when Syria is in question, it is difficult to predict it from now.

If you don't say you skipped from the Syrian issue to Cyprus, I need to note a date on this issue also. In the Cyprus negotiations if the “Partnership Government” is formed until March 2016, Turkey supports this. But if a partner government cannot be agreed on in March, Turkey is determined to close that issue.

In the Cyprus negotiations the Cypriot Greeks are locked by the question “we had a state, are we going to share it with the Turks?” As for Turks they are in favor of using the right to guarantee.

They are concerned about the Cypriot Greeks to make them become a minority within time.

Of course if these obstacles cannot be overcome and the “Partnership state” cannot be established, Turkey is for the peace negotiations to begin between the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) and the Cypriot Greek administration.

Protraction of this issue is not found meaningful. Of course everything was asked when an authority was found with the top information.

German Chancellor Merkel's visit to Turkey was one of them. A sentence that summarizes the love for Turkey that started when the Syrian refugees knocked at the gate of Europe.

It is as though “Europe is re-discovering Turkey.”

That's why, Merkel who has been showing the biggest resistance against Turkey's EU membership, spoke moderate words for our EU membership.

Merkel who has been facing the daily flow of 7,000 Syrian refugees realized that it is impossible to find a solution on this issue without Turkey.

That's why the beginning of the negotiations with the EU which had been put into the “deep freezer” by the Merkel-Sarkozy duo, the will power to open the six chapters for us which are three chapters for Merkel, is because Europe realized that it won't be safe without Turkey.

From the statements of the authority we realize that the climate with the EU has changed. Even in the financial aid issue the EU authority who used “superior language” was changed and instead of him the names open to reconciliation were assigned.

The opening of the chapters with the EU, our being accepted into the Schengen zone as of June 1, 2016 and the economic aid, will be the gains of the new process for Turkey.

I deliberately used the term “gain.” It is said that 3 billion euros were offered to Turkey for the Syrian refugees. But the EU has allocated 50 billion euros in its 2016 budget. Only Germany allocated 10 billion euros in its budget. The 3 billion euros offered to us is a drop in the ocean.

But the real gain for me will be Turkey's turning its route to the EU again and EU's re-discovery of Turkey.

In terms of the democratic regime and independence, I find the EU anchor important.

As you can imagine, most of the things we discussed with the official were about the Ankara massacre and the developments in Syria.

We talked about the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Democratic Union Party (PYD), Russia, Iran and the U.S. The PYD and the outlawed PKK come among the most profitable organizations in the Syrian process.

They ruined the reconciliation process in Turkey because of the gains they already made in Syria.

ISIL is the baby that was born out of the civil war in Iraq and Syria.

ISIL, the Assad regime and PYD reached an agreement in al Hasakah on May 28.

I gave the details about this in my column yesterday.

The authority shared similar information. On one hand the PYD is fighting against the Americans. On the other hand it is making an agreement with the Assad regime and ISIL.

Now Russia is placing the military buildup in Kamishli and Al Hasakah which are Kurdish regions, its biggest aide is the PYD…

Again it sounds weird to look for who is behind the PYD-PKK with ISIL in the Ankara massacre. Don't the PYD-PKK work together? They should have an agreement with Assad, they work with Iran. They negotiated with Russia and they have weapons aid from the U.S.

After Turkey's rough reaction on the weapons sent to the PYD, the White House and Pentagon began to accuse each other. Turkey is aware of this game.

Aren't the aids the U.S. provided to the outlawed PKK during the Çekiç Güç (Combined Task Force-Poised Hammer) in the memory of the state?

Turkey's attitude regarding the provision of weapons to the PYD is quite clear.

If those weapons are used against Turkey, those weapons and the positions those weapons were airdropped will be hit. It doesn't matter whether they are the outlawed PKK or PYD.

In March of this year a state authority had brought an initiative to the PYD issue.

This new attitude has been a matter of debate in our internal politics.

With the contribution of the reconciliation process, it was expected that the distance between the outlawed PKK, PYD and Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) would grow.

Of course there was the reconciliation process then and the HDP was playing the “Turkification game.”

Thinking of the HDP or PYD ridding itself of Qandil is nice but a vain hope.

At least for now.