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Turkey is attempting to convert Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the largest al-Qaeda-affiliate in Syria, into “moderate opposition,” Russia’s envoy to Syria Alexander Lavrentiev said during an interview with the Syrian daily, Al Watan.
In the interview, which was published on October 20, the senior diplomat reveled that Turkey’s attempts are backed by several Western states in a clear challenge to the United Nations that designates HTS as a “terrorist group.”
Lavrentiev said that Turkey has not yet fulfilled its commitment under the 5 March 2020 agreement on the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib, which is ruled by HTS and its allies. The agreement calls for neutralizing all terrorist groups in the region.
“The fight against terrorism and the fight against radical terrorist groups will continue, not only in Idlib but also in other regions and in cooperation with the brave Syrian Arab Army,” Al Watan quoted the diplomat as saying.
Recently, HTS expanded its influence from Greater Idlib to nearby Turkish-occupied areas in the northern countryside of Aleppo. The Turkish military didn’t take any action to stop the terrorist group.
Lavrentiev said that the attempts to merge HTS into the so-called “moderate opposition” are meant to prevent the Syrian government from returning to Greater Idlib and Turkish-occupied areas in northern and northeastern Syria, adding that these attempts will fail.
“We are sure that Syria’s restoration of its sovereignty over its entire territory will certainly take place, but of course this requires time,” Lavrentiev said.
The Russian military has already taken several measures to weaken HTS within Greater Idlib as well as to prevent the terrorist group from expanding outside the region. However, the lack of any action from Turkey’s side is playing in favor of the group.
Turkey and Syria have been in talks for a few months now. Lavrentiev praised the talks, noting that relations between the two can be only restored when Turkey rejects providing any support to terrorist groups in Syria.
The attempts to protect HTS and merge it into the Syrian opposition remain one of the main issues hindering any move towards ending the war in Syria. Without the complete destruction of all terrorist groups, including HTS, there could be no peace in the country.
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