AA / Ankara / Gokhan Celiker
“Türkiye will do its part to ease the difficult path of the Syrian people,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Sunday.
The head of Turkish diplomacy participates in the expanded ministerial meeting on Syria organized by Saudi Arabia, alongside his counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Syria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, from Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
A new administration led by Ahmed al-Charaa took over Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad last month. She called for sanctions to be lifted to recover from a civil war that has lasted nearly 14 years.
According to Hakan Fidan, if the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are sincere in their efforts to integrate into Syria’s central government, they should announce their dissolution.
He stressed that preserving Syria’s territorial integrity and unity must remain the “main objective.”
The SDF is led by the YPG, the Syrian branch of the PKK terrorist group.
During its more than 35-year campaign of terrorism against the Turkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by the Turkiye, the United States and the European Union – was responsible for the deaths of more than 40 000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG is the Syrian branch of the PKK.
Hakan Fidan recalled that the terrorist group continues to pose a serious threat to the Arab majority in Syria’s east of the Euphrates River and is exploiting the natural resources that the Syrian people most need.
“We can work together to strengthen the new government’s capacity to effectively fight Daesh. Türkiye is ready to do its part to help ease the difficult path ahead of the Syrian people,” he added.
— “Countries in the region have the “greatest responsibility for Syria’s future”
According to the Turkish Foreign Minister, the countries of the region have the “greatest responsibility” for the evolution of the situation in Syria and reaffirmed that the territorial integrity, unity and sovereignty of the country remain the fundamental principles that guide their efforts.
Hakan Fidan said signs of normalization in Syria are becoming more and more evident.
“In this critical period, we must act as a balancing force, carefully aligning the expectations of the international community with the realities facing the new Syrian government,” he said.
The head of Turkish diplomacy indicated that efforts to support Syria could be made more effective by establishing a coordination mechanism or committees, and stressed the need to identify priority sectors in order to obtain more sanctions exemptions in the future.
The expanded ministerial meeting on Syria hosted by Saudi Arabia will be followed by an international meeting in which the foreign ministers of Turkey, the United Kingdom and Germany will also participate.
The United States and Italy are expected to participate through deputy foreign ministers.
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