Political and military leaders of the Syrian opposition on Saturday expressed solidarity with Türkiye over the heinous treatment of a Turkish flag in northern Syria earlier this week.
"The Turkish flag, like the flag of the Syrian revolution, is a symbol of pride, a title of victory, the emblem of a great people, and its place is above the heads of the heroes and the bodies of the martyrs. Those who cross limits will be held accountable," the Syrian National Army (SNA) said in a statement.
In a tweet, SNA commander Seyf Ebubekir said the reprehensible act was carried out by YPG/PKK terrorists.
"The Turkish flag is sacred. Those who lay hands on it will be punished," he said.
Abu Amsha, another SNA commander, said the Turkish flag "is sacred .... for all Muslims in the Islamic world."
The Syrian Interim Government's Defense Ministry said the Turkish flag is "a sacred symbol for the Turkish people and army, whose blood has been shed on our land."
"Therefore, we must respect this sacred symbol ... that was attacked by some prejudiced and ignorant people who do not represent the values of the revolution," it said in a statement.
A separate Syrian Interim Government statement hailed Türkiye's support for the Syrian opposition.
The struggle will continue until the Bashar Assad regime is overthrown and the Syrian people achieve their goals of freedom and dignity, the statement said.
The National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, an umbrella group of Syria's political opposition, also condemned the incident.
"We do not approve of ... the burning of the flag of a brotherly country, whose blood is mixed with our blood in the fight against terrorism and which protects approximately 4 million," the group said in a statement.
Leading figures of various Syrian tribes also expressed solidarity with Türkiye.
At a gathering in Syria's northern Afrin district, they vowed that no one could break their bond with their Turkish brothers and sisters, adding that they would defeat all such hostile agendas.
While Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Thursday that he had a quick word with his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement meeting in October in Serbia’s capital Belgrade, the Foreign Ministry underlined Friday that Türkiye will continue to show solidarity with the people of Syria and pursue efforts to find a permanent solution to the Syrian crisis.
“We need to bring the opposition and regime together for reconciliation somehow, there will be no permanent peace otherwise,” the top diplomat said while addressing reporters on the last day of the 13th Ambassadors Conference in Türkiye’s capital Ankara.
Çavuşoğlu highlighted the necessity of a strong central administration to prevent the disintegration of Syria and this would only be possible with unity.
There must be a strong administration in Syria to prevent any division of the country, Çavuşoğlu said. “The will that can dominate every corner of its lands can only be achieved through unity and solidarity,” he added. He emphasized the need to take steps for rebuilding of civil war-torn Syria since 2011.
"No one wants to help in rebuilding without cease-fire and peace. This includes the EU, the important actors of the world, as well as the international community. Therefore, we, as Türkiye, are doing our best, but the basis for all this is a cease-fire. We will of course intensify our work in this regard.”
Çavuşoğlu also stressed that Türkiye supports Syria’s territorial integrity more than anyone else. “The border integrity, territorial integrity and peace of a country next to us directly affect us,” he said.
The brief encounter marks the first time the top Turkish diplomat interacted with a Syrian official, as Türkiye has been backing moderate opposition groups against the Bashar Assad regime since the beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2011. Also, Turkish forces carried out several cross-border operations to clear its border from the occupation of the PKK terrorist group’s Syrian affiliate, the YPG, and the Daesh terrorist group in order to provide national border security and create a stable environment for local people living near Turkish borders.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry also said Friday that Türkiye has been the country that has made the most efforts to find a solution to the Syrian conflict in line with the legitimate expectations of the people.
Responding to a question about Türkiye’s approach to the Syrian conflict, Tanju Bilgiç, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said in a statement: “In this context, Türkiye played a leading role in maintaining the cease-fire on the ground and establishing the Constitutional Committee through the Astana and Geneva processes, and gave full support to the opposition and the Negotiation Committee in the political process.”
Bilgiç said the Syrian regime has been dragging the political process, adding that the views expressed by Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu on Thursday also pointed to this.
He underlined that Türkiye continued its efforts to prepare suitable conditions for the voluntary and safe return of Syrian refugees and to find a solution to the conflict in line with the roadmap set out in the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254.
“Türkiye, in cooperation with all stakeholders of the international community, will continue to make a strong contribution to the efforts to find a permanent solution to this conflict in line with the expectations of the Syrian people,” he stressed. Türkiye’s solidarity with the Syrian people will continue, the spokesperson added.
