Refugees head towards Greece as Turkey opens borders over Syria crisis

[Dennis Donovan]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/28/tensions-rise-between-turkey-and-russia-after-killing-of-troops-in-syria

Bethan McKernan and agencies

Fri 28 Feb 2020 06.10 EST

Move appears designed to put pressure on Europe to support Turkish Idlib operation

Bethan McKernan and agencies


Turkish soldiers stand guard as refugees walk near fences enforcing the Greek border at Edirne, Turkey.

Hundreds of Syrian refugees in Turkey have begun preparing to travel towards the country’s borders with Greece and Bulgaria after Ankara’s sudden decision to no longer impede their passage to Europe.

The move comes after an airstrike on Thursday night in Syria’s Idlib province killed at least 33 Turkish soldiers recently deployed to support the Syrian opposition in the face of a blistering Russian-backed Syrian government offensive.

Turkish police, coastguard and border security officials were ordered to stand down overnight on Thursday, Turkish officials briefed reporters.

Turkey often threatens to reopen the migrant route from the Middle East, which at its peak in 2015 saw thousands drown in the Mediterranean and a million people reach Greece and Italy, where many still live in miserable displacement camps.

Thursday’s decision, however, effectively reverses a 2016 deal Turkey struck with the EU to cut the numbers of migrants entering Europe. It appears to be calibrated to force the EU and Nato to support Ankara’s new military operation in Idlib.

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During a pandemic, to boot.

[Mike 03]

1. Erdogan has held this over NATO's throat like a knife for years.

Here it goes.

By finally playing this card, Turkey does lose its prime bargaining chip. (Sorry for the mixed metaphor)

[Dennis Donovan]

2. Erdogan said today *all* Syrian forces are targets

Meanwhile, Russian cruisers sailed thru the Bosporus - past Istanbul - en route to Latakia earlier today.

Surreal: Russian Navy ships armed with cruise missiles sail past Istanbul on way to Latakia

This is going to get hot in short order.

[bronxiteforever]

3. K&R. Erdogan will send refugees into Europe

especially Greece. If you were to pick the best breeding ground for a contagion look no further than refugee camps.
Erdogan is using refugees to get NATO to help in Syria .Plus there has been heightened tensions between Greece and Turkey and Europe is backing Greece.

Just 5 days ago France backed Greece over Turkey.
“ (Reuters) - France will stand by Greece and Cyprus, supporting both in their disputes with Turkey over maritime zones in the Mediterranean, French Defence Minister Florence Parly was quoted saying in a Greek newspaper on Sunday.”

Pompous Maximus Pompeo won’t know what to do.

[Dennis Donovan]

4. Also in the linked article: sources suggest Russian air force carried out attack on Turkish troops

While Turkish officials have blamed Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian regime for the attack, several sources in Idlib and unverified footage of the night-time strike suggested it had been carried out by the Russian air force, which has helped Damascus conduct a ferocious three-month offensive on Idlib.

<snip>

Adding to the tensions, Moscow sent two warships, the Admiral Makarov and Admiral Grigorovich, both capable of firing Kalibr cruise missiles, from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean waters off Syria on Friday. They moved through the Bosphorus strait, which is governed by an international convention, sailing through the heart of Istanbul.