Altun: “As the state, we will act firmly within the framework of our responsibility for our nation, continue with our rightful struggle and not give up our determination in any way”
Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun met with Ankara representatives of the media organizations at the Directorate of Communications.
At the meeting with the Ankara representatives of the media organizations, Altun gave information about the phone conversation between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Altun noted that during the phone conversation held between the two leaders at 10.15 a.m., the treacherous attack against the Turkish soldiers by the regime in Idlib was discussed.
Concerning the conversation, Fahrettin Altun stated the following:
“Our President has clearly emphasized that the blood of our soldiers would never be left on the ground. In an environment where our country is directly attacked, he stated that all elements of the regime were legitimate targets for Turkey and they would be kept under fire. Moreover, President Erdoğan expressed that Turkey expected the regime to be obligated to comply with the Sochi Memorandum.”
Our President noted that such attacks did not reverse Turkey’s approach towards Idlib but on the contrary, made Turkey more determined, and he pointed out that that the parties to Astana process and the international community should fulfill their responsibilities. In this sense, President Erdoğan reiterated Russia's responsibility to stop the regime in accordance with Article 3 of the Sochi Memorandum in a clear way. An important issue that was agreed at this meeting was the decision for a face-to-face meeting to be held between the two leaders as soon as possible.”
Stating that the attack against Turkish soldiers in Idlib was a ‘grave’ and ‘deeply saddening’ incident, Altun said: "As the state, we will act firmly within the framework of our responsibility for our nation, take steps necessary for the continuation of our struggle for survivability, go on with our rightful struggle and not give up our determination in any way”.
Stressing that Turkey is the country which suffered the most since the beginning of the Syrian crisis, Altun said: “Again, Turkey is the country which has taken the strongest, the most stable, most determined and most consistent steps regarding the solution of the Syrian crisis.”
Altun indicated that a determined struggle had been and was being carried out under the leadership of President Erdoğan after it had been revealed that the solution of the Syrian crisis was vital for the maintenance of the national security, peace and stability.
Emphasizing that when the Syrian crisis reached Turkey’s border in 2015 and 2016, it clearly demonstrated how it could produce grave consequences for the nation, Altun stated that with the strategy of drying terror at its sources, the State initiated a breakthrough to prevent the overflow of the Syrian crisis towards Turkey and exerted great efforts to solve the Syrian crisis within the Syrian borders.
“It had two legs; one is the strategy of eradicating terrorism at its source and secondly, Turkey’s determined manner and its will concerning the establishment of the safe zone in order to solve displaced people’s problems with settlement. In this regard, two main consequences of the Syrian crisis - firstly, the wave of terrorism, and secondly, the refugee influx - were tried to be solved with Turkey’s efforts and substantial and tangible steps have been taken.”
“The most concrete project with regard to the solution of the refugee issue”
Fahrettin Altun noted that Turkey had been continuing its fight against all terrorist organizations in its antiterrorism efforts and that it had achieved an exceptional position within the international community.
Stating that the most tangible, clearest and feasible project has been put forward with the safe zone thesis with regard to the solution of the refugee issue Altun said, "Our President has revealed in all bilateral meetings and international discussions all the steps to be taken regarding the solution of the refugee issue along with all technical studies ranging from the establishment of the safe zone to the reconstruction processes there."
“We have never made concessions to our determination and we will never do so”
Noting that Turkey exerted great efforts for the solution of these two problems, Altun added: “We have taken substantial measures against the spread of Syrian crisis into our region and all threats against our peace and stability thanks to our President’s determined manner, our nation’s wisdom and heroic Mehmetçik’s struggle, and thus tragic incidents such as the events of October 6-8 and the terrorist attacks carried out by DAESH and PKK in our cities have been prevented after a while. If these had not been taken, the crisis would have spread to our cities within the borders of Turkey and our daily lives would have been disarrayed gravely. As of our current situation, we continue to take steps for the integrity, unity and national security of our country with the same determination. We have never made concessions to our determination and we will never do so. "
“We have not been supported sufficiently by the international public”
Fahrettin Altun noted out that they have not been supported sufficiently by the international public in the process of exerting all these efforts and that President Erdoğan has also indicated that very clearly on international platforms.
Altun said that on the contrary, they occasionally saw that there were stances in favor of not Turkey, but terrorism in the fight against terrorism, adding, "I regret to say that the Western countries’ approach towards the Syrian crisis was merely from the perspective of ‘We do not welcome the refugees, we do not want any foreign fighters.’ They have not made any contribution to the solution of the crisis, but they aggravated the crisis and caused a negative development such as postponing the problems for themselves. "
“Terrorism is a global problem”
Emphasizing that the problem of terrorism continued to exist and this was a global problem, Altun said, “There is no country claiming that it is independent of the problem of terrorism. Terrorism is a matter of timing in this regard and it is a matter of time before terrorism spreads from one country to another unless right steps are taken and the fight is given properly.”
Fahrettin Altun indicated that the refugee problem and the migrant influx were only delayed problems, and constructive and realistic steps were not taken to solve it.
"The Assad regime is primarily responsible for the developments in Syria following yesterday’s heinous attack. The Russian Federation did not fulfill its responsibility of stopping the regime attacks in line with Article 3 of the Sochi Memorandum, its relations with the regime and its role as a party to the Astana Process. Our expectation from Russia is that it stops and prevents regime attacks in line with our bilateral relations, its presence on the ground, its role as a party to the Astana Process, and the relevant Articles of the Sochi Memorandum.”
“Regime is legitimate target from the standpoint of Turkey”
Indicating that Turkey had been heavily attacking regime targets since yesterday and that regime targets were considered legitimate targets by the Republic of Turkey, Altun explained that regime suffered severe losses as a result of attacks since yesterday.
Altun said that since February 10, a total of 2 thousand 38 regime soldiers were neutralized while 78 tanks, 29 armoured vehicles, 53 howitzers and mortars, 27 military vehicles and 9 ammunition depots were destroyed.
Director of Communications Altun stated that Turkey acted in compliance with international law and conveyed the message that it wanted all interlocutors to act in the same way since the beginning of the Syrian crisis.
"Assad regime has been pursuing demographic engineering"
Underlining that the issue of Idlib was an issue of national security, and was also very critical for Turkey due to its humanitarian dimension, Altun said that Turkey, unlike the whole humanity, did not turn its back on this humanitarian crisis.
"If Idlib falls, millions of Syrian refugees will try to flee to Turkey and Europe. Already hosting the highest number of refugees in the world, Turkey no longer has the means to help these people and generate more resources. The Assad regime has clearly taken advantage of the negligence of the international society and has unfortunately been pursuing ethnic cleansing and demographic engineering in the region. Evacuating millions of civilians from Idlib would mean that the regime’s dream of stripping the region of its people would come true."
Altun said that hospitals, the elements of the civilian infrastructure were being bombarded for months, the people were harmed substantially and that all of these unfolded before the eyes of the world, and continued: "In our eyes, leaders turning a blind eye to the incidents in Idlib are no different from their predecessors who sat back and watched the genocide in Rwanda and Bosnia.”
“The implementation of the no-fly zone is very critical”
Expressing that the intervention of the international community to end the crisis and protect the civilians by acting within cooperation is essential, Altun said: “The implementation of the no-fly zone is very critical. The order that has substantially prevented a massacre in Idlib for the last two years has been established with Turkey’s contribution. The structure established as part of the Astana Process under the supervision of Turkey, Russia and Iran has dramatically reduced but still failed to prevent the massacres for the last two years. At this point, we remind and will continue to remind both Russia and Iran of their responsibilities as the guarantors of the process. In this process, we refer the actors who invited us to dialog directly with the Assad regime, which turned its barrel to Turkish soldiers, to the conscience of our nation.”
Recalling that the most important discussions in the national and international media as of yesterday consisted of the position of refugees and their transition processes to the Western countries, Altun said that Turkey's position on this issue was very clear.
Noting that Turkey hosts four million Syrians fleeing war and it is the country hosting the highest number of refugees, Altun indicated that the proxy wars were carried out by various countries through different groups and that Turkey has been left with nearly all the humanitarian burden of Syria, which has been a scene to the interest and power struggles of many countries.
Pointing out that the countries with the alliance relations with Turkey, including mainly the European Union, do not fulfill their political and humanitarian responsibilities regarding the Syrian refugees, Altun stated that in addition to over four million Syrian refugees, Turkey could not receive the necessary support in its efforts to prevent the formation new humanitarian plights and waves of migration.
Stressing that the Idlib De-Escalation Zone, where approximately four million civilians live, is a peace project, the architect of which is Turkey, Altun stressed that beyond its interests, Turkey aimed in this process to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Idlib and to avoid a new refugee accumulation and, thus it has displayed a very constructive attitude.
“This is a burden to be shared by everyone”
Reiterating that Turkey has previously stated that it could not have received sufficient support concerning its conscientious and humanitarian policy in Idlib, Altun said that Turkey has clearly stated that it would not be able to cope with new influxes of refugees and made the following remarks:
“This is a burden to be shared by everyone and our President has repeatedly stated that if the burden was not shared, Turkey might open its gates. Turkey has been calling on the European states and the US to cooperate in order to establish a safe zone on the Syrian border for a long time. An aim of the Operation Peace Spring, which is conducted towards this end, is to establish cities, where the refugees can take shelter, by setting up a 30-km line along the Turkish-Syrian border. Unfortunately, Turkey could not receive the necessary support for this project and the Peace Spring Operation, a counter-terrorism operation true to its name, was tried to be convicted and Turkey has been left alone at this point.
Both our fight against terrorism and our project to build a home for asylum seekers and refugees have been tried to be interrupted. In this case, there is only one step left to be taken by Turkey in an atmosphere, in which it struggles alone and intensively to prevent the influx of refugees and to find spaces and shelters for refugees and exerts great efforts to fight terrorism. Turkey has the sole remedy, which is to relieve the profound will that Turkey has been demonstrating for the prevention of the intense pressure from refugees.”
“The world must fulfill its responsibilities on these issues”
Emphasizing that Turkey hosts a huge number of refuges, which is even over the total population of many European countries, Altun said, “The possibility of adding a new four million refugees to the current number of over four million refugees is not a burden that could be tolerated by Turkey or by other countries.”
Pointing out that Turkey has never used the issue of Syrian refugees as a trump card, Altun said that Turkey was a country which has been providing the refugees with all kinds of opportunities and shouldering the entire burden since the beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2011, yet the promises made to Turkey were not kept.
“It should be known that the issue of Syrian refugees is a concern not only to Turkey, but especially to the countries in the region and Europe, as well as the whole world. The world must fulfill its responsibilities on these issues. Almost all actors should conduct their roles with regard to shouldering this heavy burden and tragedy faced by the Syrian refugees in addition to the fight against terrorism. Turkey is open to all kinds of cooperation about hosting the current refugees and for the removal of wars and conflicts which cause the influx of refugees,” said Altun.
Fahrettin Altun recalled that Turkey has reiterated this call many times in the person of President Erdoğan.
"It would mean ignoring the will of the Veteran Parliament"
Underlining that all activities of the Turkish Armed Forces in Syria are carried out on the basis and within the scope of the authorization granted by the Turkish Grand National Assembly, Altun said, "The leadership of our President is obviously very critical in terms of managing the steps taken in Syria, but defining the activities performed by our army in Syria as our President’s personal disposal would mean ignoring the will of the Veteran Parliament, which is the founding element of our Republic.”
Stating that the Turkish Grand National Assembly would convene on Tuesday, Altun said, "It will be a closed session. Our President assigned our Minister of National Defense to inform our National Assembly in that session.”
Altun stated that it should be indicated loudly and clearly in this regard that the Republic of Turkey pursued a fully independent foreign policy based on its national interests and in line with the rapidly changing global political conditions and added the following:
“Now, the Western media occasionally covers Turkey’s ‘rapprochement’ with Russia and there are some accusations through such rapprochement that Turkey almost deserves the treatment it faces. However, we should clearly point out that the interests of our state, country and nation are essential to us, and at this point, Turkey has been pursuing a fully independent foreign policy. It has established relationships with all actors in the international arena at an equal distance, at eye level and on the basis of its own interests.
It establishes relationships with its allies and partners in this sense. In addition, our country is, of course, the second largest partner of the NATO alliance, and it has been considering full European Union membership as the strategic target. Moreover, Turkey has legitimate expectations from these actors."
Erdoğan will hold an additional series of international contacts
Stating that Turkey is a part and supporter of all sorts of initiatives that could contribute to the solution for the peace and stability of the region, Altun noted that it did not and would not have an ideological stance and it would maintain its constructive attitude at that point.
Altun said that they thought the framework revealed here with regard to refugees would not create any impact on Turkey's relations with the Western world and made the following remarks:
“Because Turkey's stopping the prevention of refugees’ transition into Europe means merely the preparation for a new wave of irregular migration in the light of developments in Idlib. The threat posed against the European democracy by a new wave of migration into Europe is alarming. Furthermore, it is essential to use Turkey's limited resources for the protection of refugees fleeing the Syrian regime. The developments in Idlib unfortunately have made the implementation of the Turkey-EU agreement on refugees impossible. European friends should see this, and the crisis in the region has reaffirmed how important Turkey-EU cooperation is for regional peace and stability.”
Stating that Erdoğan will hold an additional series of international contacts today, Altun said, “As of today, he will have contacts with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Council Charles Michel, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and US President Donald Trump. In these conversations, he will clearly and openly express our country’s position and its rightful struggle.”
"Our framework is quite clear"
In response to a question on the ceasefire, Altun said, "Of course, we have been exerting efforts to end this fire from the very beginning, but here our framework is consequently very clear. We have some agreements, which cannot be considered temporary agreements. Therefore, we clearly demonstrate our commitment to these agreements and oppose the dehumanization of the region under the disguise of the fight against terrorism.”
Altun said that he has used the term “under the disguise of the fight against terrorism,” adding, “Some terrorist elements are mentioned in the region. Obviously, if you have a look, while there are unfortunately some elements moving in an unfavorable manner, Turkey is primarily a state which exhibits a clear stance with regard to struggling against those actors. Nevertheless, we can never accept the implementation of an illegitimate rush of attacks by making the civilian people of the region look like terrorists.”
Underlining that Russia’s responsibility is open and clear and that Russia is responsible as a guarantor country for ensuring the avoidance of regime’s outbursts and prevention of its actions and attacks against civilians, Altun said that they have been reminding them of such responsibility.
"A new memorandum is not required"
In response to another question, Altun said that they were of the opinion that a new memorandum for a military operation in Syria was not required.
Altun added that President Erdoğan has clearly indicated during his recent meeting with US President that the cooperation was required for the territorial integrity of Syria and a political solution of the crisis, and also pointed out to the expectation that concrete steps should be taken with regard to resolving the humanitarian crisis in Idlib and that not verbal and discursive support, but actual support should be provided.
Altun said that a series of meetings were certainly held and that the leaders would decide on their formats and made the following remarks:
“There is no new summit format that is tangibly envisaged. In this regard, Turkey has acted in a manner that is clearly open to relations and cooperation with all actors, who want to contribute to the solution. As the Assad regime in Syria has an illegitimate stance and attitude in this sense, it has not been involved in this process, and today we clearly see to what extent this regime is bloody. As a result, we consider the regime targets as our targets.”