Achieving sustainable stability and security in Syria ultimately depends on completely eliminating terrorist elements from the country, Deputy Foreign Minister Nuh Yılmaz said on Monday.
Speaking at the Brussels conference on Syria, Yılmaz underlined that the agreement between Damascus and the SDF must be applied thoroughly and quickly.
Yılmaz referred to the deal, which was signed earlier this month by Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Ferhat Abdi Şahin, code-named "Mazloum Kobani," the ringleader of the SDF. It marks a major breakthrough that would bring most of Syria under the control of the government headed by the group that led the ousting of dictator Bashar Assad in December.
The SDF, an umbrella armed group led by the U.S.-backed YPG, currently controls one-third of Syria's territory, including most of the country's oil and gas fields. The YPG uses the name SDF to give itself an air of legitimacy. The group, which is the Syrian branch of the PKK terror group, had refused to join the new Syrian Defense Ministry following the fall of the Assad regime in Syria. The deal to be implemented by the end of the year would bring all border crossings with Iraq and Türkiye in the northeast, as well as airports and oil fields, under the control of the central government. Syria's Kurds will gain their rights, including teaching and using their language, which was banned for decades under Assad.
Yılmaz, on the other side, also warned about Israeli aggression as a factor that can threaten the new process in Syria.
Speaking on other challenges in Syria, Yılmaz welcomed the recent exemptions but also underlined that they are insufficient. Sanctions should be lifted unconditionally and indefinitely to improve the daily lives of Syrians immediately.
He further emphasized the link between economic security and the country's stability.
In order to promote the return of Syrian refugees, the international community must engage in efforts to rebuild Syria comprehensively and create employment, he added.
It was the ninth edition of the conference and the first since the fall of Syria's longtime regime head, Assad, in December.
