Presidency's Head of Communications Fahrettin Altun met with Ankara representatives of media organisations at the Anadolu Publishers Federation's "Anatolian Conversations" event and responded to questions on the agenda.
Noting that the Syrian issue is one of the most pressing issues on the international agenda, Altun stated that the 13-year-long Syrian crisis is a vital issue for Türkiye's politics, unity, solidarity, and survival.
Explaining that the Syrian people have suffered the greatest from this process and that many atrocities have occurred in Syria, Head of Communications Altun continued:
''Unfortunately, the past 13 years have been characterised by atrocities that are evident in the modern world and humanity's history. Nearly a million people died, and 12 million were displaced. Many people fleeing war and bombings drowned in the Mediterranean and Aegean while looking for a safe haven. There has been a lot of suffering and tragedy. Syria was the country hardest hit by the great crisis, civil war, and persecution.''
Head of Communications Altun stated that Türkiye supported Syria throughout the process but also faced numerous terrorist attacks.
Reminding Türkiye as the first interlocutor in the face of the migration wave, Head of Communications Altun said:
''First and foremost, the President's conscientious and humanitarian stance was decisive in this case. The only thing we can do when a neighbour has a problem or knocks on our door is to open it and welcome them. He acted with the approach that opening our doors to these oppressed people is what we should do in an Islamic, humanitarian, and conscientious manner. He did not take a political pragmatist approach. He also acknowledged any potential political risks that may have arisen during this process. At a time in which populism is on the rise, racism is once again dominating the Western world, and xenophobia is on the rise, our President has welcomed asylum seekers, our Syrian brothers and sisters, people fleeing from oppression by demonstrating a very basic understanding, generosity, hospitality, and relying on the Turkish nation's understanding of hospitality."
"Our nation demonstrated an act of generosity that should be etched in history with golden letters"
Pointing out that in this process, the trend of xenophobia and racism outside the country has tried to be extended within Türkiye, Head of Communications Altun said that political structures have emerged with the sole purpose of expelling asylum seekers from Türkiye.
Head of Communications Altun went on to say:
"These structures have indeed engaged in very serious acts of racism and provocation. Apart from exceptional incidents, these acts did not really resonate with the society. The generosity demonstrated by our nation in this regard should be etched in history with golden letters. The number of Syrian refugees has reached nearly 4 million. And in the process, many refugees returned and the number decreased. Today, the number has decreased to 2.9 million. No one abandons their home and homeland voluntarily. All of us share this sentiment. People who fled their country were compelled to do so. Unfortunately, history will record this with shame, as some people have portrayed these oppressed people as the source of the problem. However, these people were the victims of the problem. In the end, when they find peace in their countries and peace is restored, these people will undoubtedly desire to return."
"A new era has begun in Syria; a new chapter has begun"
Stressing that a new era and a new chapter has begun in Syria, Head of Communications Altun went on to say:
"This new chapter in Syria has brought new hopes. It is, indeed, our foremost aspiration that these new hopes are further channelled with the appropriate politics, strategy, methods, and inclusive approach and that they yield concrete results. Syria is our neighbour; the Syrian people are our brothers and sisters. As Türkiye, we will stand by the Syrian people in the upcoming period as we have done in the last 13 years. We will do our best to help Syria heal its wounds and develop Syria. We embrace a straightforward stance here, which is to protect Syria's unity, unitary structure, and territorial integrity. Our President has made very specific and explicit statements on this issue. Our President's recent address to the nation, along with the picture he drew of Syria, encapsulates our country's policy towards Syria in a distinctly clear manner. There is nothing further to add. Our president has made this very clear: An inclusive approach should be adopted in Syria, preserving the country's unitary structure and establishing a social structure that enables peaceful coexistence of all ethnic, religious, and sectarian groups. We will make every effort to this end. Surely, we will keep using all the means at our disposal to stop terrorist organisations from exploiting existing or potential loopholes."
Head of Communications Altun reiterated the intense diplomatic traffic conducted by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during this process, as well as Türkiye's concerted efforts from the beginning, implemented through all pertinent institutions to ensure the protection of the Syrian people and prevent civilian suffering.
Noting that as a result of these rigorous diplomatic efforts, the actors that had previously engaged in fierce proxy wars in the region were excluded from the process, preventing the crisis from escalating further, Head of Communications Altun said, "A new status quo has consequently emerged. We will endeavour to do our best to ensure positive progress in the process."
Sensitive media coverage of Syria
Expressing gratitude for the sensitivity exhibited by a substantial portion of the media in the process, Head of Communications Altun remarked:
"Throughout the process, our media has opted for a much more measured and inclusive tone, honouring, in particular, the rights of our refugee brothers and sisters in Türkiye, rather than resorting to provocative rhetoric. We have noted, to our regret, a portion of our media employing provocative language. This, in turn, had negative implications. There have been efforts in the Muslim world to portray Türkiye as a country opposed to refugees. Unfortunately, despite Türkiye's sensitivity toward asylum-seekers and the significant sacrifices we have made as a nation, such a campaign has still been attempted. However, these campaigns have failed."
Agreement between Somalia and Ethiopia
On the question regarding the Ankara declaration signed yesterday between Ethiopia and Somalia under the mediation of Türkiye, Altun emphasised that the agreement between Somalia and Ethiopia will make a significant contribution to African geopolitics and peace in the long term.
Head of Communications Altun said, "The agreement signed yesterday between Ethiopia and Somalia is a concrete manifestation of Türkiye's peace diplomacy. The negotiation process was tough, lasting seven hours. Besides our President, there was no other world leader who could get the two countries around the table and resolve this dispute," and went on to say:
"It was a conflict arising from the geopolitics of the region, which would certainly have various repercussions on the global arena. You watched the press conference. The statements of the leaders of both countries clearly reflected this reconciliation. For them, it was an issue that carried a significant domestic political cost. Neither of them wanted to bear the political cost of the agreements they had signed or would sign. The issue was that Ethiopia sought access to the sea to engage in commercial activities, while Somalia was concerned about its territorial integrity. This process came to fruition after their concerns were addressed and settled at the negotiating table. Both sides reached this agreement with the facilitation of our President. Obviously, this outcome was not attained overnight. There were extensive diplomatic efforts by our Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Our President engaged in active telephone diplomacy in this regard. "Ultimately, this historic agreement was signed yesterday at the Presidential Complex in Ankara. Technical negotiations will follow the process, with Türkiye maintaining its role as a diplomatic facilitator. These all demonstrate what impact the great and powerful Türkiye has on world politics and its status as an important global player influencing not only the geopolitics of the Middle East, the Balkans, the Caucasus, and the Black Sea but also the geopolitics of Africa."
