Erdoğan calls on the West to help Turkey end war in Syria

Duvar English

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on March 15 penned a piece for Bloomberg to mark the 10th anniversary of the Syrian war, saying that peace in Syria depends on the West's support to Turkey. 

"I believe that restoring peace and stability in the region depends on genuine and strong Western support for Turkey," he said. 

According to Erdoğan, the West has three options regarding the conflict. 

"The first is to watch from the sidelines as more innocent people lose their lives in Syria. This would not only undermine the West’s moral claims but also give rise to new threats, terrorism and irregular migration, hurting international security and Europe’s political stability," Erdoğan said. 

"The second option is to take the military, economic and diplomatic measures necessary to develop a lasting solution. We have no reason to believe that Western leaders have such intentions, since they haven’t made any serious efforts along these lines for 10 years," the president noted before moving onto Turkey's suggestion. 

"The third and most sensible option is to throw their weight behind Turkey and become part of the solution in Syria, at minimum cost and with maximum impact," Erdoğan said. 

Turkey expects the West to support the "legitimate" Syrian rebels and not the People's Protection Units (YPG), which Ankara sees as a terrorist organization due to its links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), the president said. 

"Moreover, we call on the Western nations to live up to their responsibilities to end the humanitarian crisis, as failure to share Turkey’s burden may result in fresh waves of migration towards Europe," Erdoğan said. 

"Last but not least, we demand that the West invest in safe zones within Syria and unequivocally endorse this peace project. We must show the world that there is a democratic and prosperous alternative for Syria’s future," he noted. 

Erdoğan also called on the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden "to stay true to its campaign pledges." 

"The Joe Biden administration must stay true to its campaign pledges and work with us to end the tragedy in Syria and to defend democracy. The Turkish people are prepared to support any initiative that will serve the interests of our Syrian neighbors and contribute to regional peace and stability," he said.