FM: Turkiye will provide Syria ‘political support’ to expel terrorists

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said his country will provide all kinds of political support to the Syrian regime in order to expel terrorists from the region, noting that Ankara had held talks with Iran in this regard.

“We will provide all kinds of political support for the [Syrian] regime’s work in this regard,” Cavusoglu said in an interview on Turkey’s TV100 channel.  “It is the natural right of the [Syrian] regime to remove the terrorist organisation from its territory,” he added, referring to the Syrian Democratic Forces (YPG) and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) which are designated “terrorists” by Turkiye.

However, he explained that “it is not right for the [regime] to view moderate opposition as terrorists.”

“Russia and the United States have not fulfilled their promises regarding Syria, and that Moscow is seeking to integrate the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into the Syrian regime,” he added.

He has previously said that Turkiye “may launch a military operation in Syria at any moment.”

Meanwhile, the Syrian Defence Ministry announced that the Syrian army is ready to confront any “possible aggression from Turkiye and its affiliated organisations.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had announced that his country intends to launch a military operation in Syria with the aim of “fighting terrorism” and establishing a “buffer zone”, noting that a decision will be taken in this regard soon.

Turkiye has been carrying out attacks in Iraq and Syria against the Kurdish People’s Protection Units in Syria and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), to prevent threats from Kurdish factions hostile to it, it claims.

Erdogan: Syria has become terrorist hotbed