Turkey urges Syrian government to reconcile with opposition, its citizens

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated that recent developments in Syria highlighted the importance of the Syrian government reconciling with both "its people and the opposition." President Erdoğan noted that Ankara was closely monitoring developments and taking necessary measures to prevent harm to Turkey's security.

Monday December 02 2024 10:32 pm

Reuters

Developments in Syria show the need for the Syrian government to reconcile with its people and the opposition, and Turkey is ready to contribute to such a dialogue, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Dec. 2.

His comments after a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi followed a rapid assault in which rebels reached Aleppo nearly a decade after they were forced out of the northern Syrian city.

"It would be wrong... to explain the events in Syria with any foreign intervention," Fidan told a press conference. "The latest developments show once again that Damascus needs to reconcile with its people and the legitimate opposition."

"At the point we have reached, the reason for widespread clashes starting again in Syria is that interlinked problems have not been resolved for more than 13 years," he said, adding that Ankara opposed any escalation in Syria or flow of refugees from the region.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan later said he hoped the instability in Syria would be concluded with an agreement in line with the demands of the Syrian people.

He added Ankara was closely monitoring developments and taking necessary measures to prevent harm to Turkey's security.

Turkey, Russia and Iran have regularly held talks on Syria's future as part what is known as the Astana peace process. While Russia and Iran support President Bashar al-Assad, NATO member Turkey backs the political and armed opposition.

An effort will be made to revive the Astana process and a new meeting under that format could be held soon, Fidan said, adding all relevant parties should push for the establishment of dialogue between Damascus and the opposition.

Hadi al-Bahra, head of Syria's main opposition abroad, told Reuters on Dec. 2 that Syrian rebels began preparations to seize Aleppo a year ago but the operation was delayed by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and ultimately launched last week when an Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire deal was reached in Lebanon.

Al-Bahra said Turkey's military, which is allied with some of the opposition and has bases across its southern border in Syria, had heard of the armed groups' plans but made clear it would play no direct role.

A Turkish official said Ankara had not given its permission or support to the rebel operation in northwest Syria.

Araqchi, who arrived in Ankara from Damascus, did not convey any messages from Assad to Turkey, the official also said. Earlier this year, Erdogan had offered to normalise ties with Assad, but that outreach has not yielded any results yet.

A Turkish diplomatic source said Fidan was also expected to mention the crisis in Syria during a session on the Middle East at a NATO foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels this week.

Fidan will emphasize the need for allies to support Turkey's stance in Syria, aiming to prevent a spread of instability along NATO's southeastern flank, the source added.