Syrian-Turkish Maneuver Kicks off on Common Borders Amid "Israeli" Concern

Syrian and Turkish armies started yesterday a maneuver, aiming at promoting trust and amity ties, and drawing a framework to the cooperation between the two countries in the Border's security field.

This would increase the potentials of both units to the desired standards, and improve the experience level and ability of common work.

The maneuvers, that have been taking place for two consecutive years, reflect the progress in relations between Damascus and Ankara recently, in spite of "Israel's" resentment.

The maneuvers have started in the "Kilis" province on the Turkish side of the borders, and will last for three days.

Hassan Turkumani, assistant of the Syrian president, stated that the Syrian-Turkish relations are dramatically evolving, and the common military maneuvers taking place on the borders are the clearest evidence of that.

Turkumani added in a lecture he was giving in the Syrian suburb "Doma" near the capital Damascus, under the framework "forum of Syrian-Turkish relations", that "the better the Turkish-Syrian relations get, so as the Turkish-Arab ones, the worse they become with "Israel"". "I approve this dialectic, and the biggest prove on what I'm saying is the cancellation of the "Israeli"-Turkish maneuvers," he assured.

The assistant president added that Syria was able to break the isolation enforced on it, through its improving relations with Turkey, referring that "Turkey had an active role in Syria's openness with Europe, and especially France, Turkey also intervened when the crisis broke out with Iraqi president Nouri Almaliky last year."

The military commentator in the "Israeli" newspaper "Yediot Ahronot" Ron Ben yeshay indicated that "Israel" is observing the maneuver with concern.

He clarified that this concern stems from the political meaning and the latent capacity in the Turkish -"Israeli" relations, which could expand into an active military cooperation.

"Israel" also fears the transmission of technologies and experiences of the Turkish army, who was an "Israeli" trustable ally, to Syria.

Ben yeshay revealed that these maneuvers indicate that Turkey and Syria persist in promoting their relations, which have clearly improved from how it has been in the last 20 years, recalling the abolishing of Visas among citizens between the two countries.

Moreover, the commentator noted there are no signs of technology transmission from Turkey to Syria, however, he added, this situation is worrying to "Israel" to an extent that the topic is being raised in the "Israeli" minister of war Ihud Barak's discussions with American officials in Washington.