Experts: PYD presents itself to Russia as potential ally in Syria

With the recent Russian air strikes there have been ongoing debates of it aiding the PKK-affiliated Democratic Union Party (PYD) in Syria. Dr. Ammar Kahf, an expert on Syria, commented on the PYD's role and said that they have presented themselves to the Russians as legitimate partners in efforts to fight extremism.

Speaking at a panel, "The Syrian Crisis After the Russian Intervention," organized on Monday by the Ankara-based think tank Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA), Kahf said that Syrians perceive the recently conducted Russian air strikes as aggression and think that another enemy has entered the fray.

Kahf added that the air strikes would very likely unify different opposition groups in Syria against the regime.

Similarly to Kahf remarks, an academic at TOBB University of Economics and Technology, Nihat Ali Özcan, emphasized that the PYD considers Russia a natural ally due to its strong past with the Soviet Union.

Underlining that there is a difference between what Russia says politically and actually does in Syria, Kahf said that Russia's current alliances in the Middle East are quite fragile. In response to a question regarding Syrian opposition groups and the effect of air strikes, Kahf predicted that the air strikes would push the Syrian opposition closer to one another in efforts to form a unified front. He further stressed that the Syrian opposition is protecting Turkish national interests in Syria and that Turkey has a significant role in shifting balances in Syria.

Özcan said that the Soviet Union had played an immense role in the establishment of the PKK and that today the PYD considers Russia a natural ally. Özcan added that for every Russian military action there will be a political consequence and that Russia paves the way for the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad in regions where the PKK, PYD and the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) do not exist. He drew attention to PKK-Russia relations in Syria and said that though it seems that Russia is supporting the Assad regime, examining relations from the last four years between Russia and the PYD, the PKK is a must. Özcan said Russia is filling the power vacuum created by U.S. involvement.

In response to a question regarding NATO's reliability as an ally, prominent British academic Norman Stone said that should be mistrusted less than anything else. He said that NATO is trying to find a role in the Syrian crisis. Additionally, he also emphasized that Syrians deserve to have their country back and that he tries to perceive Russian intervention differently and that it still promises hope.