‘Why not cooperate with Russia?’“Why not cooperate with Russia as well on these terms? Assad opponentTurkey has been one of the most steadfast opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is backed by Russia and Iran. While both Turkey and Russia recognise the threat of the IS, they are on opposing sides in the Syrian conflict, raising questions about the viability of Russian use of Incirlik. We will cooperate with everyone who fights Daesh, says Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. Turkey has proposed cooperating with Moscow to combat the Islamic State (IS) in Syria, suggesting it could open its Incirlik Air Base to Russia -- comments that highlighted a revival in ties strained by Turkey’s shooting down of a Russian warplane last year.

Source: The Hindu July 04, 2016 09:45 UTC