Syria belongs to Syrians: Turkish President Erdogan
Türkiye wants to see a Syria where different identities live side by side peacefully "in the very near future," says President Erdogan.
Erdogan stressed that it would be best for the region if all responsible actors, including international organisations, backed Syria's territorial integrity. / Photo: AA
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed Türkiye's hopes for neighbouring Syria to achieve the peace and tranquillity it has sought for 13 years, stressing that Türkiye does not have eyes "even on a pebble of any country."
Increasing attacks on civilians in Syria's Idlib appear to be the "last straw" that triggered the recent incidents, Erdogan said in his address to Türkiye's AK Party Gaziantep 8th Ordinary Provincial Congress on Saturday.
He underlined that there is a new political and diplomatic reality in Syria, which Ankara cannot ignore as it shares a 910-kilometer (565-mile) border with the conflict-torn nation.
"Syria belongs to Syrians, with all its ethnic, sectarian, and religious components," he added, also warning of an increasing threat from the PKK terrorist organisation, which desires to abuse the power vacuum created by fresh conflicts to advance its interests in Syria.
He once again underlined that Türkiye will not tolerate any move jeopardising its national security.
President Erdogan further underscored that the Damascus regime failed to comprehend the significance of the hand that Türkiye had extended and what it meant.
Renewed fighting, renewed hope
Türkiye wants to see a Syria where different identities live side by side peacefully and hopes to see that vision take shape "in the very near future," Erdogan added during his address on Saturday.
He stressed that it would be best for the region if all responsible actors, including international organisations, backed Syria's territorial integrity.
Renewed fighting between regime forces and anti-regime groups broke out on November 27 in rural areas west of the major city of Aleppo.
By November 30, opposition forces had taken control of most of Aleppo’s city centre and established dominance across the Idlib province.
On December 1, the opposition Syrian National Army launched Operation Dawn of Freedom against the terrorist group PKK/YPG in the Tel Rifaat district of Aleppo's countryside, liberating the area from terror elements.
Anti-regime forces captured Hama on Thursday and continued to advance on Friday, seizing the Rastan and Talbiseh districts in the Homs province.
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