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Turkey is prioritizing the fight against the Kurdish movement in Syria, Director of Oriental Studies at the Institute of Armenian NAS Ruben Safrastyan told a press conference on Monday, speaking of the recent developments in Syria, specifically Turkey’s decision to begin a land operation in Afrin.

Safrastyan reminded that Turkey remains a major player in Syria that has long sought to overthrow the Assad government from one hand, from the other - eliminate the Kurdish factor in the war-torn Arab country.

“The U.S. also is interested in the change of Assad government. Alternatively, they pursue an important strategic goal of preventing Iran’s increasing leverage in Syria, which is why they plan to preserve and even increase their military presence in the country,” Safrastyan said.

Commenting on the Afrin operation, Safrastyan suggested before launching an aggression in Afrin, Turkey received the silent consent of Russia and the U.S. In the expert’s view, the ‘deal’ was made during the past week at Turkish-Russian talks held in Moscow that went largely undisclosed.

To note, the operation started at on Saturday with over 70 Turkish warplanes having conducted airstrikes in seven districts of Afrin, where 108 targets out of 113 were destroyed, according to Turkish military leadership. The operation has already been condemned by Damascus with the Syrian Foreign Ministry calling the act a violation of Syrian sovereignty.

“Turkey supposedly managed to convince Russians the operation would be limited down to the fight against Kurdish military units. Instead, the Russians secured an opportunity for the Syrian forces to advance toward the Idlib direction,” Director of Oriental Studies at the Institute suggested.

Safrastyan next referred to the announced 30-kilometer safe zone to be created during the operation of the Turkish military in Syria. “I am inclined to think the political consequences of this aggression are dangerous that could ultimately collapse the Astana process.  The talks that were supposed to be resumed in Syria are largely endangered. Turkey’s aggression neutralized all the victories against the Islamic State triggering a new wave of instability in Syria,” Safrastyan noted.