Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

The 19-month conflict in Syria between the Syrian government and the opposition seems to turn into conflict between Turkey and Syria. Tensions rose after the shelling of a Turkish border town last week, which resulted in the death of five civilians and Turkey's attacking targets inside Syria in response.

Ties between Ankara and Damascus, which have been tense since the March 2011 start of Syria's crisis, worsened sharply after the incident.

"The Akcakale incident is a concrete sign that shows the two counties have come much closer to a state of war. This incident is the turning point in the Syrian crisis for both Turkey and Syria as well as for the regional countries," Mehmet Seyfettin Erol, the head of Ankara's International Strategic and Security Research Center (USGAM), told Today's Zaman newspaper.

After Akcakale incident the Turkish government received last Thursday a mandate from Parliament for military operations in foreign countries but said it had no intention to go to war with Syria.

But some Turkish parties claim that by receiving such a mandate by the government will lead the country to the unnecessary war.

On the other hand, the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on his people to be prepared for a possible war with neighboring Syria if it becomes necessary, the state-owned Anadolu news agency reported on Monday.

"One has to be ready for war at every moment, if it becomes necessary. If you are not ready, you are not a state and you cannot be a nation. The state that is not ready for war at any moment is not fully developed. Turkey must be ready for war no matter what," Erdogan said in a speech on Sunday.

However Akcakale incident wasn't the only case between Turkey and Syria. The military firings continue on the Turkish-Syrian border.

Turkey is proceeding to deliver military equipment to the border with Syria after the Turkish parliament made a decision enabling trans-boundary operations against Syria, the Zaman newspaper reported on Monday.

Military equipment is being delivered to Suruc area, Sanliurfa province. The active-reactive ammunition and large military contingent are being transported to the border.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul said on Monday the "worst-case scenarios" were now playing out in Syria and Turkey would do everything necessary to protect itself, as its army fired back for a sixth day after a shell from Syria flew over the border, Reuters reported.

Gul said the violence in Turkey's southern neighbor, where a revolt against President Bashar al-Assad has evolved into a civil war that threatens to draw in regional powers, could not go on indefinitely and Assad's fall was inevitable.

On the other hand, speaking on this issue it should be noted the Kurdish problem.

"Syrian issue for Turkey is directly related to the problem with the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party. Therefore, it is wrong to say that the direction of the military power to solve the crisis with Syria will weaken the country's fight against the PKK," Milli Gazete editor Mustafa Ozcan said, Trend news agency reported.

According to the information disseminated by the Turkish media at the official website of PEJAK organization, which is the Iranian wing of the terrorist PKK, while threatening Ankara, Syrian President Assad said that he will provide the PKK with weapons.

Although official Damascus has not responded to PEJAK's statement, Ankara believes that the Syrian authorities cooperate with the PKK against Turkey.

Despite the statement by the senior Turkish officials that Turkey doesn't want war, it only wants to prevent the war, the tension between the two governments is rising day by day.

International communityhas also expressed its concerns over the Turkish-Syrian border incidents.

The U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has made a strong appeal to halt the flow of arms into Syria and warned that the crisis threatens stability in the entire region, Reuters reported.

Ban said the escalation of the conflict along the Turkey-Syria border, as well as the impact of the crisis on Lebanon, were "extremely dangerous."

"The situation in Syria has dramatically worsened. It is posing serious risks to the stability of Syria's neighbors and the entire region," he told a conference in Strasbourg, France.

Ban said U.N. and Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi would be heading back to the region this week.