Turkish defense minister says Trump likely to withdraw troops from Syria
Turkey's defense minister Yaşar Güler has stated that he expected Donald Trump to withdraw US troops from Syria under his upcoming administration. Güler added that Syria's Assad should seriously consider Erdoğan's invitation to reinitiate a normalization process between the two countries.
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Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler on Nov. 13 commented on a potential normalization with Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, saying that the Free Syrian Army (FSA) would form the Syrian Republic’s army in the future, according to reporting by the online news outlet Independent Türkçe.
Defense Minister Güler made the remarks in an interview on TV100.
In response to a question on what would happen to the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in a potential normalization with Assad, Güler said that Assad did not have his “own population” in the region. “If there is to be a Syrian state tomorrow, these people are already its citizens.”
The Kurds of the region who were against both the PYD and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) would form Syria. “The FSA today will be the Syrian Republic’s army tomorrow. This needs careful consideration and discussion,” the minister concluded.
Güler stated that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s invitation to Assad was an opportunity for his shattered country. “The Middle East, now a focal point of conflict, has a chance to become a region of peace. I believe Assad will make the most of this,” he added.
As for withdrawal, Güler emphasized that Turkey could not just withdraw without the right conditions being satisfied.
the U.S. could withdraw troops from Syria under the upcoming Trump administration, adding, “I believe Trump will strongly focus on this and could pull American troops from Syria and the region.”
Asked whether the U.S. would withdraw troops from Syria, Güler responded, “Trump ordered the withdrawal from Syria three times during his first administration. But it was right before the elections, so it remained pending. I believe Trump will focus on this matter strongly and could withdraw American troops from Syria and the region.”
When asked if terrorist organizations would disarm, Güler responded, “No terrorist group is established to disarm. Naturally, no group says, ‘We’ll form an organization and lay down arms in three years,’ but they can be forced to disarm. Our duty is to find methods to make them disarm, go after them intensively, and force them to lay down their arms.”
On relations with the PKK, Güler said, “I mentioned that peace will be prioritized. PKK members shouldn’t think this applies to them. We don’t have a peace option with the PKK.”