Speaking at the opening of the 7th Tripartite Summit in the Astana Format, President Erdoğan said: “We are determined to eradicate from Syria the malicious groups that threaten our national security. We expect the Russian Federation and Iran as Astana guarantors to support Türkiye in this fight.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered a speech at the opening of the 7th Tripartite Summit in the Astana Format held in Tehran.
“FIGHT AGAINST ALL TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS MUST BE MAINTAINED UNINTERRUPTEDLY”
Drawing attention to the challenges caused by the Syrian crisis, President Erdoğan said: “The Astana platform is the sole initiative capable of taking concrete steps aimed at producing effective solutions and implementing them. We reject such rationales as using one as a proxy to fight the other. Our fight against terrorist organizations will continue permanently without caring where they operate and who supports them. We are determined to eradicate from Syria the malicious groups that threaten our national security. We expect the Russian Federation and Iran as Astana guarantors to support Türkiye in this fight.
“The PKK/PYD/YPG terror is a joint issue of us all. I believe we as Astana guarantors will maintain the cooperation we have displayed thus far and achieve these goals by joining forces. However, the gravest threat to Syria’s territorial integrity as well as its peace is the scourge of terror. The fight against DAESH, PKK/PYD/YPG and all the other terrorist organizations must be maintained uninterruptedly.”
“WE WILL CONTINUE OUR UNCOMPROMISING FIGHT AGAINST MURDEROUS TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS”
“It must be clearly understood that separatist terror and its extensions have no place in the future of our region,” President Erdoğan underscored, and added: “By clearing the areas along its southern borders of terror, Türkiye has protected the lives of civilians, prevented irregular migration and significantly contributed to Syria’s territorial integrity. We will continue our uncompromising fight against murderous terrorist organizations in the upcoming period as well. It is our common wish that the conflict end through a political process to be maintained on the basis of the UN Security Council Resolution 2254. We will discuss how we can speed up this process and what kind of steps we can jointly take to that end.”
“ATTACKS TARGETING CIVILIANS AND CIVILIAN RESIDENCES UNDERMINE OUR EFFORTS FOR A POLITICAL RESOLUTION”
Stressing that while the PKK/PYD/YPG terrorist organization continued its separatist agenda, it was impossible to expect Türkiye to remain indifferent or still, President Erdoğan drew attention to the fact that the PKK/YPG/PYD elements had yet to withdraw at least 30 kilometers away from Türkiye’s borders, which he noted was a requirement of previous memorandums of understanding, and said: “Tell Rifaat and Manbij have become terrorist hotbeds. In fact it is high time these places that the terrorist organization has taken shelter must be cleared. We expect our Astana partners to support our efforts aimed at ensuring stability in Syria.
“Particularly the attacks targeting civilians and civilian residences undermine our efforts for a political resolution. The regime should join the political process in a sincere manner instead of killing its own citizens in such attacks. On the other hand, we appreciate your concerns about the terror groups in Idlib. We take every precaution within the framework of our agreements. We determinedly maintain our fight at the cost of our soldiers’ lives. Let me underline that as a result of our efforts, currently no terrorist group prevails in these regions.”
“VOLUNTARY AND DIGNIFIED RETURN OF SYRIANS TO THEIR LANDS MUST BE ENSURED”
Pointing out that Türkiye had been temporarily hosting 3.7 million Syrians, President Erdoğan said that the peaceful, safe, voluntary and dignified return of Syrians to their lands must be ensured, and added: “We gladly see that the Syrians return to their lands if security and stability are ensured. More than 500 thousand Syrians have returned to the areas we have cleared of terror, and our preparations for the return of another 1 million Syrians continue. Making progress in the political resolution, preparing humanitarian infrastructure, and making those who want to return confident that they will not suffer maltreatment are fundamental motivations for the returns.”
“Over 4 million Syrians are in need of international aids more than ever. Türkiye has provided every support, including cross-border and crossline aids, in order to facilitate the UN’s help. We expect the same understanding from our Astana partners as well,” the President noted.