"Terrible terrorist attacks took place in Turkey. Ankara finally realized that it needs to work not just with the US-led international coalition, but with Russia and Syria in order to fight against Daesh and the Al-Nusra Front," Yavuz said.
He pointed out that given the current situation, mending relations between Ankara and Damascus has become a priority. According to Yavuz, if Turkey and Syria start cooperating in the ongoing fight against Islamist terrorists, it would be a significant breakthrough and a very positive development for both countries.
"I hope that Russia manages to persuade Erdogan, and will become a mediator who would help Ankara and Damascus resume cooperation. That would be another important global diplomatic success for Vladimir Putin," he said.
He added that establishing cooperation between Turkey and Iraq is also important, despite the fact that the issue of Turkey's military presence on Iraqi soil has soured the relations between the two nations.
"There are certain differences of opinion between Ankara and Baghdad regarding the Turkish military personnel deployed in Iraq in order to train Peshmerga (Iraqi Kurdish) forces. But Daesh and the Al-Nusra Front pose a serious threat both for the Iraqi government and for Barzani, so I believe that the countries in the region will inevitably start cooperating in order to fight these terrorist groups," Yavuz concluded.
