January 10, 2025 10:31 GMT
TURKEY: Foreign Min-Turkey Has No Intention Of Taking Over Any Part Of Syria
TURKEY
Reuters reports comments from Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan's end-of-year press conference. Says that one of the key priorities for Turkey in 2025 will be 'ridding Syria of terrorists'. Fidan "does not believe there will be issues with the US in counter-terrorism in Syria in the coming period, Washington knows Turkey's position". The US and Turkey supported different anti-Assad militias before the erstwhile Syrian president's ouster, creating tension between the NATO allies.
- The US and France could send troops to northeast Syria in an effort to defuse tensions between Turkey and Kurdish militias in the region, according to a senior Syrian Kurdish official. Fidan says "What France should do is take back French fighters in Syria."
- Fidan says that the new Syrian administration "should be given the opportunity to address the presence of the Kurdish YPG [designated a terrorist organisation in Turkey] in the country". Fidan: "It is not right to classify Turkey's battle against Kurdish militants as a battle against Kurds".
- Says Turkey is "evaluating its presence in Syria in the new period," but that it "has no intention of taking over any part of Syria."
- Speaking on Turkish-EU relations, Fidan says he "Does not see the possibility of advancing certain issues with the EU under the current political structure, but cooperation [is] continuing." Chatham House notes, US President-elect Donald Trump's return could "necessitate a fresh approach that treats European security in the broader sense, bridging the gap between EU and non-EU European NATO member states [such as Turkey]."
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