The meeting was a continuation of last Tuesday's dialogue in St. Petersburg between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The two, among other things, discussed the peace settlement in Syria, which is why Moscow is now urging Ankara to seal this stretch of the Syrian-Turkish border in order to stop the flow of terrorists and weapons.
Turkish former Consul General in the city of Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan Aydın Selcen told Sputnik Turkiye that Ankara needs the political will to do it, however it is a top priority in order to make the country more secure.
“The sealing of the 98-kilometer stretch is possible from the military point of view, however there should be political will to back such a decision,” the former diplomat told Sputnik.
“A strategy should be created involving the military. The sealing of the border could be ensured with the right technologies including airships, fixed cameras, UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), aircraft,” Selcen said.
However the former diplomat stressed that upon sealing the border, the groups which have previously enjoyed support from Turkey now can stage provocations in response to the move and it could be avoided if Ankara follows the correct foreign policy tactics.
“The closure of the border could have a certain impact on Turkey’s internal security,” he said.
For example, being deprived of Ankara’s support, some groups might try to carry out terrorist attacks in large provinces or in the cities where there is an unstable social structure, such as Hatay, Urfa or Gaziantep.
The Turkish authorities therefore need to act cautiously, and follow a clear strategy. And there should be a political will, he added.
In modern Turkey the political will is concentrated in the hands of the president, he explained. Any further developments depend on the actions of the government, which will act in accordance signals given by the president’s apparatus.
Aydın Selcen also noted that the sealing of the border should be a priority for Turkey as the jihadists pose a threat to its national security.
And even though it might somehow deteriorate relations with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, if these countries understand and respect Turkey, they should equally understand and respect its priorities,
The maintenance of close ties with Russia is also a priority in comparison with cooperation with these countries, he finally states.
