Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan considered that there is room for reconciliation with his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, after years of estrangement, if the latter helped fight terrorism in northern Syria, referring to the Kurdish People’s Protection Units.
Erdogan’s statements came during an interview with the American news network “CNN”, where Erdogan expressed in the interview his keenness to turn the page on the past with Assad, through his pivotal supporter, Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Through our friendship with President Putin, we believe we can open a door (with Assad), especially through our fight against terrorism in northern Syria, which needs close cooperation and solidarity,” he said.
In his speech, Erdogan refers to the Kurdish militants who are stationed in northern Syria, and form the backbone of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces.
He added, “If we can do that, I don’t see any obstacle in the way of our reconciliation.”
However, the Turkish president pledged to continue his country’s military presence in northern Syria, although the withdrawal of those forces is a precondition for Assad to hold talks with him.
He justified the presence of his forces inside the Syrian territories by fighting terrorism.
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2023-05-19 18:41:32
