It is terrorist groups that pose a threat to Syria and not Türkiye, Justice and Development Party (AK Party) spokesperson Ömer Çelik said Monday amid steps in thawing ties between Ankara and Damascus.
Speaking after a party meeting in the capital Ankara, Çelik said that some work on steps with Syria is almost completed.
“When these are finalized, the foreign ministers will meet. What I want to say to our interlocutors in Syria is this, 'The main threat to them is terrorist organizations. The Republic of Türkiye is not a threat to them. We defend Syria's territorial integrity in the strongest possible way,'” he emphasized.
Çelik added that Türkiye does not want small “terror statelets” to be formed in Syria while it advocates for a political solution within the scope of the constitutional process. “What needs to be done today is: Advance these political negotiations, as well as implement joint mechanisms with Syria to clear Syrian territory of terrorist groups.”
He underlined further that diplomacy must be upheld and that Ankara is not an occupying force in Syria.
Çelik’s words come after Syria recently voiced its demands for the end of Türkiye’s presence in the country for normalization.
The Turkish and Syrian defense ministers held landmark talks in Moscow last month to discuss border security and other issues. Last week, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he may meet regime leader Bashar Assad after a trilateral foreign ministerial meeting.
In November, Erdoğan said a meeting with Assad was a possibility after cutting diplomatic ties with Damascus throughout the 11-year conflict.
In mid-December, he hinted he could meet Assad after the meeting of both countries’ defense and foreign ministers. “We want to take a step as Syria, Türkiye and Russia,” he had said.
NATO member Türkiye has played a major part in the conflict, backing Assad's opponents and sending troops into the north. Moscow is Assad's main ally and Russian President Vladimir Putin has urged reconciliation with Ankara.
The conflict in Syria, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people, displaced millions and drawn in regional and world powers, has extended to a second decade, although fighting has mellowed.
Any normalization between Ankara and Damascus would reshape the decadelong Syrian war. Turkish backing has been vital to sustaining moderate Syrian opposition in their last significant territorial foothold in the northwest after Assad defeated the opposition across the rest of the country, aided by Russia and Iran.
