Turkish policy in Syria: what's at stake for Europe

The author contends that the EU's approach to Turkey is overly focused on refugees and civil liberties, ignoring critical security dynamics in Syria. The text details Turkey's shifting relationship with the Assad regime, its conflict with the PKK, and the role of the Turkish 'deep state' in collaborating with various militants. It highlights the strategic importance of 'Operation Euphrates Shield' in closing IS communication lines and urges the EU to collaborate with Turkey on the liberation of Raqqa and the peace process with Kurdish separatists.

• The EU's policy toward Turkey is criticized for being too narrow, focusing primarily on refugees and civil liberties while ignoring the critical security issues and the 'grey areas' of Turkish policy in Syria.
• Turkey's relationship with Bashar Al-Assad shifted from support and cooperation—including a 2007 free-trade agreement and 2008 mediation between Israel and Syria—to hostility after Assad's 2011 military campaigns and his support for the Syrian wing of the PKK.
• The Turkish 'deep state'—a network of intelligence services, criminal networks, and extremists—was reactivated in 2012/13 to counter PKK-controlled zones in northern Syria, leading to collaboration with the Al-Nusra Front, the Syrian branch of Al Qaeda.
• Turkey's military intervention in Syria, specifically 'Operation Euphrates Shield' in late summer 2016, was essential for European security as it closed a primary communication line for the Islamic State (IS).
• The author proposes a three-step European strategy: collaborating with Turkey on a Sunni Arab-led offensive to take Raqqa, managing the subsequent dispersal of jihadists, and actively supporting the peace process between Ankara and Kurdish separatists.

APA

Filiu, J.-P. (2016). Turkish policy in Syria: what's at stake for Europe. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/turkish-policy-in-syria-whats-at-stake-for-europe/

Chicago

Filiu, Jean-Pierre. Turkish policy in Syria: what's at stake for Europe. Green European Journal, 2016. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/turkish-policy-in-syria-whats-at-stake-for-europe/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Filiu |first1=Jean-Pierre |title=Turkish policy in Syria: what's at stake for Europe |publisher=Green European Journal |date=2 November 2016 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/turkish-policy-in-syria-whats-at-stake-for-europe/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{filiu2016turkish, author = {Filiu, Jean-Pierre}, title = {{Turkish policy in Syria: what's at stake for Europe}}, institution = {Green European Journal}, year = {2016}, month = nov, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/turkish-policy-in-syria-whats-at-stake-for-europe/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }