Türkiye's top security council reiterated the country's support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbors, including Iraq and Syria, as it warned about the dangers of Israel's lawless actions, posing a threat to regional security.
Referring to the terrorist PKK's Syrian offshoot YPG, the National Security Council (MGK) statement said the elimination of terrorists from Syrian territories would contribute to Syria's interests.
It noted that Türkiye would continue to make contributions to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of its neighbors Iraq and Syria, amid increased anti-terror efforts and sincere cooperation to solve joint security issues.
The security council also said Türkiye would continue to support efforts to reach a genuine public accord that involves all sides in Syria to find a permanent solution. It added that it would not let provocations target the friendship between the two nations.
The Assad regime often mentions the presence of Turkish soldiers in the country’s north as an obstacle to full normalization. Türkiye, however, relies on a military presence in the region against security threats, namely the PKK/YPG terrorist group that controls the northeastern part of Syria, immediately across the Turkish border.
NATO member Türkiye has backed political and armed opposition to the Assad regime during the 12-year civil war and sent its troops into the country's north to fight terrorist groups like the PKK, its Syrian affiliate, the YPG, and Daesh. It is also hosting more than 3.5 million refugees from its neighbor. Since 2016, Turkish cross-border operations have helped liberate Syria’s northern regions from terrorism and enable the peaceful resettlements of residents.
Turkish officials have recently been floating the idea of cooperating with Damascus on counterterrorism efforts as the PKK/YPG still controls much of the war-torn country’s northeast, making it impossible for Assad to establish territorial integrity. The Assad regime, however, has frequently denounced Türkiye’s operations.
Relations between the two countries began to thaw after the Feb. 6 earthquakes that killed more than 56,000 people combined in both countries and the sides. With Damascus allies Russia and Iran in tow, they have resumed normalization talks. At the same time, Assad has insisted Ankara’s withdrawal from Syrian territory was the only way a normalization could be achieved.
The MGK was briefed about the ongoing cross-border operations in northern Iraq and Syria, as well as steps to create a security corrıdor on the Iraqi border.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan signaled months ago that they were considering more operations against the group this summer to clear the region of the PKK. Officials often emphasize efforts to close the security loop and sever the ties between the group’s leaders in Iraq and its Syrian wing, YPG.
The “terror corridor” is already targeted by the army and Turkish intelligence in Syria and Iraq.
Warning that Israel, which has proven through its massacres that it has nothing to do with international law and humanitarian values, the MGK said it must immediately be stopped as its actions may lead to regional spillover and trigger a cycle of regional violence
Flouting a U.N. Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.
Nearly 39,200 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 90,400 injured, according to local health authorities.
Over nine months into the Israeli onslaught, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.
Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.
The council also reaffirmed a two-state solution for Cyprus, advocating sovereign equality for Turkish Cypriots and international recognition of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
"Türkiye's Cyprus Peace Operation ensures 50 years of peace and security on the island, affirming its legitimacy," the National Security Council said.
The island of Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts to achieve a comprehensive settlement.
Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety.
In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece's annexation of the island led to Türkiye's military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. As a result, the TRNC was founded in 1983.
The Greek Cypriot administration was admitted to the EU in 2004, the same year Greek Cypriots thwarted a UN plan to end the longstanding dispute.
The National Security Council said: "Türkiye will prioritize dialogue in Aegean and Mediterranean regions and will not allow its constructive approach to be exploited."
It also urged more multilateral efforts for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, stressing the need to prevent further escalation or spread of conflict.
At the meeting, relations developed with a long-term approach between Türkiye and African countries, especially Somalia, Libya, Sudan and Niger, were also evaluated.
