The Turkmen community’s centuries-old heritage is one of Syria’s “essential components,” according to the head of the Syrian Turkmen Associations Federation.
At a news conference held in the Syrian capital Damascus on Monday, Tarık Sulo Cevizci described the fall of the Bashar Assad regime in December as a "victory of a 14‐year struggle."
Thanks to their Syrian and Turkish origins, he said they are a community fluent in both Arabic and Turkish and that embraces both cultures.
"In this context, we have competent and qualified personnel capable of acting as a political, social and economic bridge between the Turkish and Arab worlds," Cevizci said, adding that the Syrian Turkmens are ready to take on the responsibility for national unity and societal peace, and to mobilize all their resources for the benefit of the country and society.
Born in a Turkmen town in central Aleppo, he emphasized that the Turkmen have never sought to disrupt Syria's territorial or national integrity.
He noted that the community has historically maintained its identity and traditions while forming strong neighborly ties based on mutual respect and understanding with local populations across the region.
Wishing success to Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, he stated that they would support all the positive steps the new administration takes for peace, stability and the welfare of the people in the country.
However, Cevizci reiterated that recent years have seen challenges in the region, including war, terrorist attacks, forced migration and political pressures.
"Some erroneous and unsuccessful Turkmen political initiatives have reached a point where they threaten the existence and struggle of the Turkmen community," he said.
He added that the "just cause of Turkmen people is so deeply rooted and valuable that it cannot be sacrificed for narrow political calculations," urging caution against any initiatives that could undermine unity and solidarity.
Stressing that they will steadfastly continue to oppose all kinds of "divisive, exclusionary approaches," Cevizci called on Turkmen political formations, civil society organizations and opinion leaders to take action to halt the adverse course of the Syrian Turkmens.
"We call on (everyone) to organize the Syrian Turkmen Congress, with our compatriots coming together, to protect the interests of the Turkmen and the country, to ensure national unity, and to take a strong stance," he said.
Assad, Syria's leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party's regime, which had been in power since 1963.
Al-Sharaa, who was appointed as the new Syrian interim president on Jan. 29, tasked Mohammed al-Bashir with forming a government to oversee Syria's transitional period.
