'All hands off Syria, terrorism to be crushed': Turkiye warns

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
15 Jan 2025 15:17

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatens Kurdish forces in Syria and asserts that a ceasefire in Gaza paves the way for regional stability.

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Turkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a plenary session at the European Political Community (EPC) Summit in Budapest, on November 7, 2024. (AP)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that his country's interest in Syria is "entirely natural" and is based on "legitimate, justified, and humanitarian reasons."

During a speech at the parliamentary meeting of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Ankara, Erdogan said, "We cannot view a neighboring country like Syria through a Western lens, given our centuries-old fraternal ties and a 911-kilometer shared border."

Erdogan added that "everyone should take their hands off Syria," emphasizing that Ankara and Damascus are capable of crushing ISIS, the YPG (Kurdish People's Protection Units in Syria), and other "terrorist organizations" in a short time.

He warned the YPG that it would not escape its "impending painful fate" unless it dissolved itself and surrendered its weapons.

Ceasefire in Gaza: An Opportunity for Regional Stability

Commenting on the Gaza ceasefire talks, Erdogan stated that "after more than 15 months of genocide and ongoing massacres in Gaza, a ceasefire will provide an important opportunity to achieve lasting peace and stability throughout the region."

"We are closely monitoring the ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, and we hope to hear positive news soon," he said.

In this context, the Turkish president also emphasized that "Israel" must immediately cease its hostilities on Syrian territory, or the consequences will have negative repercussions for everyone.

The Israeli occupation has been exploiting the instability and intensified its aggression by targeting Syria's military infrastructure, destroying vital facilities, and occupying an estimated 600 square kilometers of southern Syrian territory.

Previously, the Times of Israel reported that Israeli government and security officials have been covertly scheming to establish an international summit that would propose the division of Syria into cantons, under the guise that it would preserve the rights and safety of all the diverse ethnic groups within the country.