Physical Address
Indirizzo: Via Mario Greco 60, Buttigliera Alta, 10090, Torino, Italy
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Daesh terrorists imprisoned in Syria should be taken by the countries of their nationality, as he noted that Türkiye would support such a process.
Speaking at a joint news conference with his Belgian counterpart Bernard Quintin in the capital Ankara, Fidan reiterated the importance of ensuring security in Syria.
He noted that the new Syrian administration should take control of the Daesh terrorist camps and prisons, adding that Türkiye was ready to support the process.
Fidan also said Ankara would help protect the minorities in Syria, as it had welcomed all oppressed Syrians with open arms during the Assad regime’s brutal oppressive rule, which displaced millions of Sunni Arabs.
“The same way that Türkiye did not hesitate to welcome the refugees who sought refuge to flee this oppression, it will continue to be the protector of any aggrieved group in the new era,” Fidan said.
The top Turkish diplomat reiterated that terrorist groups do not belong in Syria’s future and that Türkiye wants all terrorist elements, including the PKK’s Syrian offshoot YPG terrorists, to leave the country immediately.
PKK/YPG found itself cornered after anti-regime forces toppled the decades-long regime in December. It sought to exploit the situation by attempting to capture new areas. Still, the Syrian National Army (SNA) stopped the group’s advance and, moreover, captured Tal Rifaat and Manbij, two PKK bastions, last month. The terrorist group, backed by the United States under the guise of a joint fight against Daesh, sought Washington’s assistance in the face of the SNA offensive and later reached out to the new administration. It seeks integration into the new Syrian army but reportedly rejects dissolving itself.
Ankara has been a major player in Syria’s conflict, having secured the northwest and maintaining a working relationship with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which spearheaded the offensive that brought down Assad.
Assad has fled Syria, closing an era in which suspected dissidents were jailed or killed and capping nearly 14 years of war that killed more than 500,000 people and displaced millions.
