Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


What Does Turkey's President Want?

Jamie Dettmer

   Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogansays he has hopes of reaching a
   deal on a cease-fire in Syria's northwest when he meets his Russian
   counterpart Vladimir Putin on Thursday in Moscow.

   "I hope that he will take the necessary measures there, such as a
   cease-fire, and that we will find a solution to this affair," the
   Turkish leader said in a televised speech Monday.

   His European neighbors fervently hope a deal is struck. Until there is,
   they see little chance that Erdogan will stop encouraging war refugees,
   mainly from Syria but also from other Mideast countries currently in
   Turkey, to head to Greece, either on land or by boat. This is Erdogan's
   geopolitical move, European officials say, aimed at blackmailing them
   to support his fight with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over the
   fate of Idlib.

   Refugee numbers are surging along Turkey's frontier with Greece since
   Erdogan announced last week that he had "opened the doors" for
   asylum-seekers to Europe.

   The European Union, Erdogan said, "should keep its promises," referring
   to a 2016 deal with Brussels to stop the flow of refugees in exchange
   for billions of euros in financial aid.

   But as far as European leaders are concerned, it is Erdogan who's
   failing to keep to his end of the bargain. They see his play as an
   unscrupulous bid to ensnare them in his own geopolitical ambitions in
   northern Syria.

.