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The 10 March agreement and the US plan from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean

The 10 March agreement and the US plan from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean

İbrahim Varlı A year has passed since the bloody transformation in Syria that has shaken the balance in the Middle East and in Türkiye. While jihad enthusiasts hold celebrations with posters of Erdoğan, Salman, Jolani and Saddam there is major uncertainty about how the new Syria will be shaped. Two main issues form a Gordian knot. The first is the Druze in Al-Suwayda in the south and the second is the Kurds in the north. Alongside these formations in the south and north the demands of the Nusayris (Alevis) along the coastal strip also need to be added. While the Druze are trying to make their de facto autonomy permanent under Israeli protection the core issue in Syria is how the Kurdish question will be resolved and how the country will be designed. The knot here is the 10 March Agreement which has been mentioned frequently in recent days as well. All sides, proxies and actors accuse each other of not complying with the 10 March Agreement. SDG, Damascus, Ankara and Washington say the only way to resolve the problem is to comply with the “agreement”. According to reports featured in pro government media headlines the AKP’s “Terror free Türkiye” report on the process in Türkiye also emphasises the 10 March Agreement. WHAT IS THIS AGREEMENT? The “agreement” signed in Damascus on 10 March by Jolani (Ahmed eş-Şera) and SDG commander Mazlum Abdi consists of 8 articles. It states that SDG and the areas under its control will be linked to Damascus and in return the rights of all minorities including Kurds will be protected and Kurds will be granted constitutional rights. The eight articles of the agreement, also published in Sana, are as follows: 1- The right of all Syrians to be represented in the political process and to participate in state institutions will be guaranteed on the basis of merit regardless of their religious and ethnic origin. 2- The Kurdish community will be recognised as an essential component of the Syrian state and its citizenship rights and constitutional rights will be guaranteed. 3- A ceasefire will be ensured across all Syrian territory. 4- All civilian and military institutions in North East Syria (Rojava) will be integrated within the framework of Syrian state administration and border crossings, airports and oil and gas fields will be brought under state control. 5- The return of all Syrian refugees to their cities and villages will be guaranteed and their protection will be provided by the Syrian state. 6- The Syrian state will be supported in the fight against the remnants of the Assad regime and elements that threaten the country’s security and unity. 7- Calls for division, hate speech and initiatives that fuel social polarisation will be rejected. 8- Implementation commissions will carry out work for the agreement to be fully put into practice by the end of the year. AT THE END OF THE ROAD The time envisaged for the agreement expires as of the end of this month. The pressure coming from Ankara, Damascus and Washington is also because the deadline is about to end. In the eight months that have passed the agreement accepted at the table has not been put into practice. There are many points of disagreement. While the Kurds (SDG) blame Damascus, the Jolani administration and Ankara blame the Kurds and the US is trying to manage both sides. The deadline will probably be extended with the new year because it looks impossible for the crisis and the points of disagreement to be resolved in the next two or three weeks. The US’s Middle East sheriff Tom Barrack is shuttling between capitals. He is using a carrot and stick tactic to bring the parties together on middle ground. Admiral Brad Cooper, Commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM), also reiterated once again that the integration agreement reached on 10 March must be followed. Speaking at the Syria conference of the Washington based Middle East Institute, Cooper said “Successful integration of the SDG with Syrian government forces will lead to a more predictable and stable security environment”. He said the US and Syria have shared interests in the Middle East. HOW WILL THE KURDS BE INTEGRATED? What causes the Gordian knot is the “integration” of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDG), meaning the Kurds. While the Kurds and SDG criticise Jolani for not keeping his promises they want to take their place in the “new Syria” with a defined status. Damascus, encouraged by Ankara, is trying to do this without giving the Kurds any special status if possible and if not then to “grant” them the lowest possible level of status. The reason for Ankara’s repeated warnings to SDG is its effort to bring the Kurds to the table. SDG was also the main agenda item of the Imrali visit. Öcalan also drew attention to the special relationship between them by saying that Mazlum Abdi and SDG would listen to him. Speaking at SETA’s “Syria One Year On: Recovery and Reconstruction” conference on 9 December, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan set out Türkiye’s position in these words: “SDG needs to understand that there cannot be two armed elements in Syria. It is not possible for us as Türkiye to tolerate Syria becoming an area of chaos again.” Erdoğan also sent a message to SDG the same day by saying “Putting the 10 March Agreement into practice will solve an important knot”. A few days earlier the TSK’s reinforcement towards Syria had drawn attention. The military build-up was read as a threat aimed at getting SDG to the table. THE NEW CONSTITUTION BLOCKING THE AGREEMENT The main dynamic behind the 10 March Agreement not working is the “temporary constitution” of the “new Syria” adopted on 13 March. The constitution commissioned by Jolani has provoked a strong reaction from the Kurds because it contains articles that ignore the 10 March agreement. In the 33 article temporary constitutional declaration the following points, which also appeared in the previous constitution, are the main reasons for objection: • Syria is an Arab Republic • Its geographical and political unity is indivisible and no part of it can be relinquished • The religion of the President is Islam • Islamic law (fiqh) is the main source of laws and legislation… The temporary constitutional declaration also recorded that it would remain in force for 5 years, that governance would remain in Jolani’s hands during this transition period and that elections would not be held. SDG, led by Kurdish forces that largely control the eastern and north eastern provinces of Syria, emphasises that they are not included in the constitution that nullifies the agreement reached. FROM 8 DECEMBER TO UNCERTAINTY Exactly a year ago, on 8 December 2024, the fundamentalists led by Jolani seized Damascus and overthrew Assad with the support of the US and Western imperialism, opening “Pandora’s box”. The country, whose ethnic, religious and sectarian fault lines have been activated, is being shaped in line with the regional plans of the US and Israel. While the Jolani administration is fulfilling the role assigned to it almost every group in the country is pointing guns at each other. In the current Syrian theatre, clashes often take place between SDG and HTŞ and between the Druze and Damascus backed Bedouin tribes, while Jolani’s army attacks the Nusayri Alevi community along the coastal belt at every opportunity. The US and Israel continue to lay the groundwork for building a fragmented Syria kept under control. While Türkiye acts with the US to secure a share in Syria’s decision making process Fidan thanking Trump for HTŞ is a sign of the tangled relationship between them. THE US PLAN FROM THE CASPIAN SEA TO THE MEDITERRANEAN The main actor in Syria, the scene of a reckoning among Türkiye, SDG, Damascus, Israel and the Druze, is American imperialism. What is happening cannot be considered independently of the US’s Caucasus Middle East plan, as clearly summarised by these words from Trump’s special envoy Barrack in recent days: “President [Trump] changed the whole chessboard. You see it everywhere. You will see an alignment from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean.” Yes, it is possible to see that alignment in every square metre of the wider Middle East geography from the Caucasus to the Eastern Mediterranean. It has been proven many times that nothing in the interests of the peoples will come out of any geography where imperialists and reactionaries set foot and make plans. History will repeat itself once again. Note: This article is translated from the original article titled 10 Mart mutabakatı ve Hazar’dan Akdeniz’e ABD planı , published in BirGün newspaper on December 12, 2025.

İstanbul açıklarında 50 yıllık sır: 42 kişi Marmara'nın altında bekliyor

İstanbul açıklarında 50 yıllık sır: 42 kişi Marmara'nın altında bekliyor

30 Ocak 1975 tarihinde 42 kişiye mezar olan ve yarım asırdır ulaşılamayan Türk Hava Yolları'na (THY) ait 'Bursa' isimli F-28 uçağının enkazına dair önemli gelişme yaşandı. İzmir-İstanbul seferini yaparken inişe geçtiği sırada Büyükçekmece açıklarında Marmara Denizi'ne düşen uçağın yerini tespit ettiğini öne süren Youtuber Nedim Kuru, su altı dronu ile yaptığı dalışta enkaz parçalarına ulaştığını iddia etti. Kuru, 42 yolcunun hala deniz altında olduğunu belirterek, kazada hayatını kaybedenler arasında ünlü isimlerin yakınlarının da bulunduğunu vurguladı. 30 Ocak 1975'te Türkiye'yi yasa boğan THY'nin F-28 tipi 'Bursa' uçağı kazası, üzerinden 50 yıl geçmesine rağmen hafızalardaki yerini koruyor. Resmi kayıtlara göre 41 yolcu ve bir hostesin çocuğuyla birlikte toplam 42 kişiye ev sahipliği yapan uçağın enkazına, o dönemin şartlarında ulaşılamamıştı. Kazanın üzerinden 50 yıl geçtikten sonra Youtuber Nedim Kuru tarafından su altı dron ile yaptığı dalışla uçağa ait olduğu düşünülen parçaları görüntüledi. Gaziantep'te temizlik görevlisi 6 yaşındaki öğreciyi bıçakladı "DRON İLE DALDIĞIMIZDA BULDUĞUMUZ PARÇALARIN UÇAĞA AİT OLDUĞUNU DÜŞÜNÜYORUZ" Geçtiğimiz günlerde Marmara Denizi'nin derinliklerine odaklanan Youtuber Nedim Kuru, uçağın düştüğü iddia edilen noktada su altı dronu ile dalış gerçekleştirdi. Kuru, yaptığı incelemelerde uçağa ait olduğunu düşündüğü parçalara ulaştığını açıkladı. Kuru, "50 yıl önce düşen Bursa isimli uçağımız tam bu noktada 50 yıldır yolcularıyla beraber denizin altında duruyor. Uçak düştüğü için parçaları geniş bir alana yayıldı. Biz dron ile daldığımızda bir parçadan oldukça şüphelendik. Çünkü büyük, ikiye katlanmış alüminyum bir parçaydı. Muhtemelen uçağın olduğunu düşünüyoruz. Tabi tam anlamıyla çıkarmadan bir şey demek doğru değil" ifadelerini kullandı. Eşini ve bacanağını öldürmüştü: Adıyaman'daki çifte cinayette yeni gelişme "42 KİŞİ MARMARA'NIN ALTINDA BEKLİYOR" Kazanın üzücü bir dram olduğunu belirten Kuru, "50 yıldır denizin dibinde duran bir uçaktan bahsediyoruz üzücü bir kaza. Toplamda 42 kişi maalesef Marmara denizinin altında bekliyor, çıkarılmadılar enkaz hala Marmara denizinin dibinde" ifadelerini kullandı. KAZADA HAYATINI KAYBEDEN ÜNLÜ YAKINLARI Kuru uçak kazasında ünlü Teknik Direktör Fatih Terim'in kayınpederi Kamuran Aksu ve şarkıcı Seyyal Taner'in hostes kardeşi gibi isimlerin de bulunduğuna dikkat çeken Kuru, "1975 yılında teknolojinin yeterince gelişmemiş olması nedeniyle enkaz çıkarılamamış. Ancak bulduğumuz parçaların enkaza ait olduğunu düşünüyoruz. Artık enkazın yerini biliyoruz" şeklinde konuştu. Bölgede önümüzdeki günlerde ikinci bir dalış daha gerçekleştireceklerini duyuran Kuru, enkazın resmi olarak tespit edilip denizden çıkarılması için yetkililere çağrıda bulundu. Uçağın yolcuları için Yeşilköy'de bir anıt mezarı olabileceğini dile getirdi