Turkey’s President Erdogan Speaks on Syria and Regional Politics
Turkey’s President Recep Erdogan delivered a speech to the nation, outlining the government’s plans in domestic and foreign policy, with a significant portion dedicated to the situation in neighboring Syria. According to Erdogan, a new era has begun in the history of Syria, as cited by Habertürk.
“We see that the new Syrian government is trying to build Syria on the basis of territorial integrity and the unity of the country, and it is determined to do so. This is also in our interest” Erdogan stated.
The Turkish President emphasized that Turkey will not agree to the disintegration of Syria, saying, “If we see the danger of the unified structure in this country being destroyed, we will take the necessary steps quickly.”
In a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in mid-December, Erdogan reiterated Turkey’s commitment to preserving the territorial integrity of Syria, while warning of pre-emptive measures against terrorist groups in the country, including the Workers’ Party of Kurdistan.
Addressing the Turkish Parliament on December 25, Erdogan declared that Kurdish groups in Syria would either lay down their arms or “be buried.” The President vowed to “eliminate the terrorist organization that is trying to build a blood wall between us and our Kurdish brothers” as reported by Hürriyet.
Since the rise of new groups to power in Syria, Kurdish forces have been targeted. After the fall of Bashar al-Assad, Kurds appealed to the United States for help and pressure on Turkey. The new Syrian authorities have demanded that fighters of the Workers’ Party of Kurdistan lay down their arms unconditionally, as reported by the government-aligned Turkish newspaper Hürriyet.