Turkish Foreign Minister: Iran showed a realistic approach in Syria

According to Isna, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, in an interview with a European News agency, talked about Ankara’s plan to talk with Tahrir al-Sham and the new Syrian government to “combat terrorism” and the issue of the activities of “PKK” and “SDF”. (Syrian Democratic Forces) reported.

He also said in an interview with “France 24” news agency that there is “good intelligence cooperation” between Ankara and Tahrir al-Sham against ISIS and that this group has been “useful” for Turkey.

In response to a question about whether this group is a terrorist, Fidan said: “Turkey’s approach regarding the inclusion of Tahrir al-Sham in the list of terrorist organizations is in line with the United Nations and we follow the resolution of the United Nations Security Council, but now new conditions have been created in which The legal part and the reality contradict each other.

He also claimed in defense of Tahrir al-Sham: “According to our information and western intelligence agencies, the board of Tahrir al-Sham has not had any terrorist activities in the last 10 years.”

This claim is made while Tahrir al-Sham used to operate under the name “Al-Nusra Front”, a branch of the Al-Qaeda terrorist group in Syria, and the US Central Command announced before the recent developments in Syria that this group is a branch of Al-Qaeda and should be “regarded Ann was worried.”

Ankara’s decision to talk with the new Syrian government

Nevertheless, Fidan went on to say that he will travel to Damascus in the near future to “talk with the new Syrian government.”

He also emphasized on the continuous interaction of the American and European authorities with the Syrian authorities and described these developments as significant.

Fidan said in this regard: “I think (these interactions) are very important.” Before the American officials, representatives of some European countries and international organizations visited Damascus. We see that contact is being made with the new leadership in Damascus. This is an important development.”

In response to a question about the return of Syrian refugees, Fidan emphasized that Türkiye is committed to creating an environment where refugees can return to Syria voluntarily and safely.

He also stressed that forced return is not an option, but expressed optimism about a significant increase in returns in the near future if the situation in Syria improves.

US military presence in Syria and the fight against ISIS

Fidan expressed skepticism about the US military presence in Syria, saying that the declared goal of fighting ISIS is an excuse for broader geopolitical goals.

He argued that the detention of ISIS prisoners does not justify a long-term military deployment and criticized the United States’ reliance on the PKK and the SDF as a proxy force in northern Syria.

The fate of Russian bases is important for the Syrian people

In the continuation of his interview, he discussed the fate of Russian bases in Syria.

In this regard, Fidan pointed out that Russian President Vladimir Putin has transformed from a tactical manager to a good strategic thinker with the help of years of being in power, saying: “He knows very well what is important and what is less important. is What can be invested in, whether it is sustainable or not. “So I think he has made a final calculation about Syria and decided not to continue.”

Asked if this could be seen as Putin “abandoning Assad,” Fidan said: “I don’t know if you can say that he has abandoned Assad. It doesn’t seem like it. “By the way, Assad is currently in Moscow.”

In response to the alleged question of “why Iran cut off its support for the Assad regime”, Fidan said: “I think Iran has recalculated all its options and has shown a very realistic approach.”

In response to the question whether Turkey is in favor of keeping Russian bases in Syria or not, he said: This is a matter for the Syrian people. It depends on the Syrian people. If they agree, that’s their decision, so we’ll see, but as far as we can see right now, the Russians are redeploying their forces. “At the end of this process, we don’t know how many of them will remain in the Syrian bases.”

Fighting ISIS has always been America’s excuse

Fidan also pointed out that the US has increased its military presence in Syria under the pretext of “fighting ISIS”, and said: “The term “fighting ISIS” is always an excuse. Some things must be defined correctly. The so-called “fight against ISIS” is only one thing: keeping ISIS prisoners in prison. “Unfortunately, our American friends and some of our European friends are using another terrorist organization to keep terrorists in prison.”

Emphasizing that this is not the right decision, Fidan said: “We must reach an understanding with America on issues such as how to keep ISIS prisoners where they are, how to destroy the PKK and SDF and provide basic rights and security.”

PKK and SDF are aware of Türkiye’s request

In response to the question whether Turkey will carry out military operations against PKK and SDF in northeastern Syria, Fidan said: “SDF is an artificial terrorist organization made up of the people of Turkey, Iraq, and Syria.” And it is part of Europe. I think this artificial terrorist organization should be destroyed immediately. There is now a new government in Syria. “I think they should address this issue.”

In this regard, in response to the question whether military intervention is on the table, he said: “Türkiye will do whatever is necessary.”

“Now there is a new reality in Damascus,” he concluded. I hope the new government of Damascus will take care of these issues. PKK and SDF are well aware of Türkiye’s request.

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