"Clearly, the wisest decision Turkey can make right now entails engaging in a dialogue with Assad, withdrawing its forces from northern Syria and ceding control over this region to the government forces," he said.
Professor Ilhan Uzgel, a political scientist and expert in foreign relations at Ankara University, maintained that Turkish leadership was long pursuing an unsound strategy aimed at overthrowing Assad. This approach has had an adverse effect on Turkey, afflicted by economic troubles and political uncertainty.
"Turkey has been swept by the wave of terrorism and violence, an outcome of Turkey's foreign policy mistakes in the Middle east, particularly Syria," the analyst said.
Turkish leadership was long convinced that it could remove Assad and alter the balance of power in the Middle East since Ankara wanted to offset "the loss of Egypt," he explained.
Professor Ilhan Uzgel insisted that Turkey could safely abandon its policy on Syria in 2013.
"It would have been good if Turkey understood that this strategy would lead it nowhere. In this case Turkey could have become a positive force – not a force intent on destroying the Assad government, but a country engaged in dialogue with all stakeholders, a country capable of promoting relations will the United States, Russia, Iran and the Assad administration if need be," he said.
However, until recently Turkey adhered to its initial policy aimed at changing the regime in Syria.
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