Türkiye prevented the formation of a terror corridor aimed near its southern borders with the operations it carried out, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Friday, underlining that Ankara will never allow this to happen.
Speaking to Turkish broadcaster A Haber in an exclusive interview, Akar reiterated that the YPG is the Syrian offshoot of the PKK terrorist organization, stressing: "We tell everyone that the YPG is no different from the PKK, that they are the same organization. Despite this, it is extremely regrettable and unacceptable for some of our allies to say that the YPG is not the PKK and to provide various assistance to them."
Within the scope of the fight against terrorism, Türkiye made agreements with both the United States and Russia on northern Syria in 2019, Akar noted, adding: "Within the framework of these agreements, the region must be cleared of terrorists. Whatever we have to do with this, we have made an effort to do everything in the most effective way, and we do. We urgently expect our interlocutors to fulfill their responsibilities and promises."
"Especially in the last period, the Tal Rifaat and Manbij region has completely turned into a nest of terror, a bed of terror. The harassment from there has exceeded thousands. Whatever needs to be done, we will respond in the future as we have done so far. Terrorism and terrorists have no future in our region. This should be understood by everyone," he said.
Akar underlined that Türkiye will do whatever is necessary without hesitation under the right circumstances and at the right time within the scope of international law and its right to self-defense.
"We respect the territorial integrity of all our neighbors, including Syria. Our aim is to achieve stability in Syria, to ensure the security of our borders and our people, and of course the Syrian people. Whatever it takes, we have done our part so far. We will continue to do so, as in the contacts and meetings held both in the regional and international environment."
He also touched upon Türkiye's expectations from its allies: "Stopping all kinds of support to terrorist organizations as soon as possible and supporting our fight against terrorism. The most important threat in NATO documents is the fight against terrorism. We are actually doing this. Our expectation from our interlocutors is that they understand this and act accordingly."
Akar last year said the greatest challenge that Türkiye-U.S. relations face is not the problem of Ankara’s purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defense system but rather Washington’s support for the PKK terrorist organization’s Syrian wing, the YPG.
The YPG controls large parts of northern Syria and is regarded by Washington as an important ally against Daesh despite its NATO ally Türkiye's major security concerns and warnings. The PKK is a designated terrorist organization in the U.S., Türkiye and the European Union, and Washington's support for its Syrian affiliate has been a major strain on bilateral relations with Ankara.
The U.S. primarily partnered with the YPG in northeastern Syria in its fight against the Daesh terrorist group. On the other hand, Türkiye strongly opposed the YPG's presence in northern Syria. Ankara has long objected to the U.S.' support for the YPG, a group that poses a threat to Türkiye and that terrorizes local people, destroying their homes and forcing them to flee. Under the pretext of fighting Daesh, the U.S. has provided military training and given truckloads of military support to the YPG, despite its NATO ally's security concerns. Underlining that one cannot support one terrorist group to defeat another, Türkiye conducted its own counterterrorism operations, over the course of which it has managed to remove a significant number of terrorists from the region.
Furthermore, local people living in areas held by the YPG have also long suffered from its atrocities, as the terrorist organization has a notorious record of human rights abuses including kidnappings, recruitment of child soldiers, torture, ethnic cleansing and forced displacement in Syria. The YPG has forced young people from areas under its control to join its forces within its "compulsory conscription."
In May, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced plans for a new military operation in Syria to drive away the YPG. The plans include resuming Turkish efforts to create a 30-kilometer (20-mile) safe zone along the border with Syria and enabling the voluntary return of Syrian refugees from Türkiye. Erdoğan has recently said that Türkiye's plan for a new military operation in northern Syria will be on the table as long as the YPG continues to pose a security threat to his country.
Türkiye has launched three major cross-border operations into Syria since 2016 and already controls some territories in the north. Turkish-backed operations in previous years have ousted YPG and Daesh terrorists from the northwestern enclave of Afrin and a series of border towns further east. Since 2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful counterterrorism operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018) and Peace Spring (2019).
Erdoğan has said that since the United States and Russia have failed to live up to their commitments to provide a safe zone along the border region, Türkiye is ready to mount an operation to protect the nation and locals in northern Syria from the YPG. In October 2019, Russia committed to removing the terrorist group from Tal Rifaat and Manbij after reaching an agreement with Türkiye during Operation Peace Spring. Moscow also promised that the terrorists would be pulled back 30 kilometers from the border on the M4 highway and in the area outside the Operation Peace Spring zone.
Türkiye provides support to nearly 9 million Syrian refugees both in northern Syrian and Türkiye, Akar noted. "With the regions we control becoming safe, we are making efforts to ensure that the northern part of Syria becomes a center of attraction and there is no migration from there, and that our Syrian brothers living in Türkiye return to their homes and lands voluntarily, safely and honorably as soon as possible."
"So far, 1 million of our Syrian brothers and sisters have returned to their homes and lands, 500,000 of them to Idlib. We say that the human tragedy should end as soon as possible. There are serious problems there, we want them to end. Until today, we have made every effort at every level, both internally and externally. We continued our humanitarian aid activities in coordination with the United Nations, and we continue to do so."
Akar once again underlined that providing stability in Syria is Türkiye's main aim and added: "Our hope is the emergence of a stable Syria. This will result in our border security. The most important job we focus on is to make every contribution towards ensuring stability. We continue our activities in this way, I hope we can expect events to go in this direction. And of course, ensuring the security of our borders with the urgent drafting of a constitution in the upcoming period, an election based on this constitution and the emergence of a legitimate government depending on the election ... We follow the process closely within these principles."
Türkiye has backed opposition groups fighting to topple the Bashar Assad regime and cut diplomatic relations with Damascus early in the 11-year conflict. But Russian intervention has helped Assad's regime drive the opposition back to a pocket of northwest Syria.
Asked last week about potential talks with Damascus, Erdoğan was quoted as saying diplomacy between states can never be fully severed. There is a "need to take further steps with Syria," he said. Türkiye’s aim in Syria is not to defeat Assad but to find a political solution to the decadelong crisis in the country, Erdoğan said recently.
The president’s words come after Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu last week called for reconciliation between the Syrian regime and the opposition. Türkiye does not have preconditions for dialogue with the Syrian regime and talks should be goal-oriented, Çavuşoğlu also said.
A United Nations Security Council resolution adopted in December 2015 unanimously endorsed a road map to peace in Syria that was approved in Geneva on June 30, 2012, by representatives of the United Nations (UN), the Arab League, the European Union, Türkiye and all five permanent Security Council members – the United States, Russia, China, France and Britain.
It calls for a Syrian-led political process starting with the establishment of a transitional governing body, followed by the drafting of a new constitution and ending with U.N.-supervised elections. The resolution says the free and fair elections should meet “the highest international standards” of transparency and accountability, with all Syrians – including members of the diaspora – eligible to participate.
Syria has been mired in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity. U.N. estimates show that more than 8 million Syrians have either been internally displaced or become refugees in other countries since 2011. The Syrian regime held presidential elections in May in which authorities say Assad won 95.1% of the votes.
