Director of Communications Altun: "Türkiye will decide when to launch an operation in Syria."
Presidency's Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun responded to the questions of "Aftenposten", one of the prominent newspapers of Norway.
In response to the question about when a military operation will be launched against the terrorist organisation PKK/YPG in Syria, Director of Communications Altun stated that the PKK/YPG terrorist organisation has attacked both Turkish soldiers and regions where Syrian civilians live under the protection of Türkiye.
Emphasising that Türkiye’s top priority is the safety of its citizens’ life and property, Director of Communications Altun pointed out the importance of regional peace and stability as part of this. Director of Communications Altun said, "Türkiye will decide when to launch an operation in Syria."
Upon the question, "Can Türkiye launch a military action without the consent or support of the Russian authorities?" Director of Communications Altun said that Turkish-Russian ties have a deep-rooted history and are also highly realistic.
Noting that he believes it is acceptable that, as two sovereign states, they do not fully agree on every issue, although they have good relations in many areas, Director of Communications Altun stated the following:
"There may be different perspectives about the nature of the crisis on the ground and the potential exit route in the case of Syria. However, we believe that the fight against terrorism is the common denominator of all states that want peace and stability in the region. Türkiye, under the leadership of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has now become a state that prioritises its own interests and takes matters into its own hands when necessary. Everyone has witnessed this in recent years. Certainly, relevant states can exchange ideas to some extent. However, at the end of the day, no step Türkiye will take is subject to anyone's permission or consent."
"Sweden and Finland’s membership will be accepted if we are satisfied that the commitments made are kept"
When asked if a date has been set for Finland and Sweden's formal ratification as members, Director of Communications Altun stated that although Türkiye withdrew its objection to Finland and Sweden being invited to NATO after the trilateral memorandum was signed on the sidelines of the Madrid Summit, the process was not yet complete.
Emphasising that Sweden and Finland should keep the commitments they made in Madrid, Director of Communications Altun said, "Their membership will be accepted if we are satisfied that the commitments made are kept. The Grand National Assembly of Türkiye is not currently in session. Therefore, we are unable to discuss a certain date as of today."
Pointing out that Türkiye has two basic expectations from Finland and Sweden, Director of Communications Altun added:
"First and foremost, we requested that they lift the sanctions against the defence sector on the grounds that they were against the spirit of the alliance represented by NATO. The second issue was that they must take decisive action against terrorist organisations threatening Türkiye. In this context, we requested that they stop harbouring members of both the PKK/YPG and the FETO members who murdered 251 people in a coup attempt in Türkiye in 2016. Finland and Sweden declared that they would meet these requests. We are presently evaluating the situation. "
"Our expectation is that Sweden and Finland will prove that they see Türkiye as an ally and take the required steps"
It was stated that Türkiye has submitted a list of people to Sweden for extradition under the terms of the memorandum signed with Finland and Sweden, Director of Communications Altun claimed that they approached the issue with a focus on quality rather than quantity.
Pointing out that the Ministry of Justice sent formal requests to both countries based on the memorandum signed in Madrid, Director of Communications Altun remarked that it was requested to re-examine some of the extradition requests that were previously turned down.
Noting that the previously denied requests were also in violation of the existing international agreements, Director of Communications Altun said, "Our expectation is that Sweden and Finland will prove that they see Türkiye as an ally and take the required steps".