Chief of General Staff General Yaşar Güler
Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler stressed the need for the Bashar
Al-Assad regime to meet several requirements before Turkish forces withdraw from
northern Syria.
The requirements include the establishment of a new constitution and the holding of democratic elections, in addition to the formation of a government that represents all Syrian sects.
In an exclusive interview with Turkish newspaper Milliyet, Guler said:
“We don’t need anyone’s land… But how can we leave when there are four million
Syrians in our country, and five million in Idlib are in danger of turning into
refugees at any moment? Can we leave there without a secure environment?”
He stressed that the Turkish military operations in northern Syria aim to
protect Turkish citizens.
“Why did we carry out Operations Olive Branch and Euphrates Shield? Because
our citizens could not go to their fields, because terrorists were firing
missiles at our citizens daily and harassing them with light weapons,” Guler
asserted.
Regarding the demands for withdrawing Turkish forces from northern Syria,
Guler said that calling for Turkiye to withdraw is not a simple procedure,
noting: “First, an [secure] environment will be created. The constitution,
which the Syrian regime has to do at the moment, will be accepted and elections
will be held. A government will be established, and it will embrace all the people
here. After that, of course, we will be happy to do so.”
“Saying that Turkiye must withdraw cannot be that easy. The appropriate
environment must first be prepared, the Syrian regime must accept the
constitution and hold elections, and a government must be established that
embraces all the people there. If these conditions are met, of course, we will
happily leave.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian revealed that his country
had proposed an action plan to the Al-Assad regime and Turkiye regarding withdrawing
Turkish forces from northern Syria.
Abdollahian explained that Iran presented a proposal during joint meetings
that Ankara pledge to remove its forces from Syria in exchange for the Al-Assad
regime’s pledge to prevent any attack on Turkish territory.
In an interview with the Iranian newspaper Al-Vefagh, he added: “We
also proposed to Damascus and Ankara that Iran and Russia be the guarantors of
this agreement.”
The Iranian foreign minister noted that the Al-Assad regime assured
Tehran: “It is completely prepared to maintain the security of the border with
Turkiye from within its territory.”
Turkiye previously announced, in response to Al-Assad’s statements in which
he stipulated the withdrawal of its forces before talking about any steps to
normalise relations, that the withdrawal of its forces is a red line due to the
current situation, stressing that the regime cannot currently secure the
borders.
Middle East
Monitor