The China Youth Daily singled out three reasons behind this process. While Moscow and Tehran have long fostered working relations, bilateral ties betweenMoscow and Ankara were damaged when Turkey, a NATO member and a key Washington ally inthe region, downed a Russian bomber innorthern Syria.
"Disagreement withNATO onways tofight Daesh inSyria and the botched coup prompted Ankara toturn toRussia. According toavailable information, Recep Tayyip Erdogan managed toprevent the military coup fromsucceeding because Moscow shared intelligence data withhim," the newspaper noted.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="698"]
People and Syrian Army members inspect a damaged site after a suicide and car bomb attack in south Damascus Shia suburb of Sayeda Zeinab, Syria June 11, 2016.[/caption]It is nearly impossible tobelieve that NATO was not aware ofan unusual military mobilization onthe eve ofthe coup, the media outlet said, adding that the bloc apparently did not share this information with Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Russia used the opportunity and the Turkish leader understood who his friends and enemies are.
Meanwhile, last week, Tehran allowed Moscow touse its Hamadan airfield torefuel bombers that were tasked withbombing militant targets inSyria, primarily Aleppo, an unprecedented development inIran's modern history.
The China Youth Daily offered three reasons that could explain improving counterterrorism cooperation betweenthe three nations. Firstly, if Russia, Iran and Turkey join their counterterrorism efforts, they will increase their anti-Daesh capabilities. In addition, they will also make it clear tothe United States, Europe and the Middle East that they are the key players inSyria.
"Any political, economic and military attempts toresolve the crisis bypassing Moscow, Tehran and Ankara are doomed tofailure," the newspaper noted. Secondly, the alliance offers an opportunity toexert pressure onSaudi Arabia, Washington's ally inthe Middle East.
"Earlier, Saudi Arabia and its friends inthe Persian Gulf tried touse the Syrian crisis inan attempt toundermine Iran's domestic affairs. Thanks tocooperation withRussia and Turkey, Iran is sending a strong message toRiyadh" not tomeddle inthe Islamic Republic's internal affairs, the media outlet observed.
Thirdly, the alliance will help toforce the US, Europe and NATO toreadjust their strategy inthe Middle East. Although the West has tried tomake overtures toTurkey and Iran, both Middle Eastern countries seem tohave opted forcloser relations withRussia instead, turning toa different "decision maker." The newspaper described this process as "a logical step," adding that it "remains unclear whether the US and Europe are ready toaccept Turkey and Iran's 'pivot' toRussia."
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="704"]
Damaged buildings in Al-Ramouseh district in southern Aleppo[/caption]This new format will not necessarily be symmetrical. As freelance journalist Zakiyeh Yazdanshenas pointed out, Iran views its relations withRussia asstrategic, unlikeMoscow's ties withAnkara.
"These days, Iran sees itself asRussia's strategic partner inthe Middle East. Of importance, the two countries are supporting the same side inthe Syrian war," she wrote foral-Monitor. "Increased military cooperation betweenMoscow and Tehran is evidence ofhow important this partnership is forIran."
In this context, the decision tolet Russian planes land atHamadan ontheir way toSyria could be "considered a message toits opponents inSyria, such asTurkey, who are attempting tocourt Russia," she said. "Indeed, Iran wants tosignal that while Russia might talk todifferent players aboutSyria, such asTurkey and the United States, atthe end ofthe day, it is Iran that Russia views astrustworthy.
" Last week, Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, refrained fromcalling relations betweenthe three countries "a new format forsettling old crises," let alone an alliance. She emphasized that these contacts were infact standard practice states involved intackling regional challenges. "Therefore, it does not replace any ofthe existing formats onresolving any particular issue. This is a platform forinterstate dialogue and exchange ofopinions, and this is standard practice," she said.
By Sputnik News
