Turkish Foreign Minister Denies Trump’s Claim of Turkey’s ‘Unfriendly Takeover’ in Syria | Syria’s war news

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has rejected a claim by new US President Donald Trump that the overthrow of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad was a disaster “unfriendly takeover” from Turkiye.

In remarks that appeared to praise Ankara, Trump said at a news conference earlier this week that Turkiye had been “very smart” and had carried out “an unfriendly takeover in Syria without causing many lives.”

In an interview with Al Jazeera broadcast on Wednesday, he said Turkish Foreign Minister said it would be “a serious mistake” to describe current events in Syria as a takeover by Turkey.

“For the Syrian people, it is not a takeover of power. I think if there is a takeover, it is the will of the Syrian people who are taking power now,” Fidan said.

The foreign minister also said the “last thing” Turkiye wants is to be seen as a regional power with ultimate control over Syria, citing a culture of domination that has brought ruin to the region.

“Well, I think that would be the last thing we want to see because we are drawing big lessons from what is happening in our region because the domination culture itself has destroyed our region,” Fidan said. “Not Turkish domination, not Iranian domination, not Arab domination, but cooperation should be crucial,” he said.

“Our solidarity with the Syrian people today should not be characterized or defined as if… we actually govern Syria. I think that would be wrong,” he added.

Asked about US media reports about concerns that the Turkish military may be ready to launch a major military offensive in Syria to destroy Kurdish forces hostile to Turkey, the foreign minister referred to this YPG (People’s Defense Units) as a “significant threat” to his country.

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) armed group is classified as a “terrorist organization” by Turkey and the West, and Fidan described the YPG as an “extension” of the PKK in Syria.

The YPG maintained its control over territory in Syria by presenting itself as an aid to the West in the fight against ISIL (ISIS), the foreign minister said. “I think this is a misrepresentation of her true identity. They are there as a terrorist organization,” Fidan said.

“Unfortunately, our Western friends … turn a blind eye to the fact that the YPG is an extension of the PKK,” he said, adding that Ankara had called on Washington to end its military support to the Syrian Democratic Forces, which includes the YPG is the most important combat component.

Fidan also said that the new Syrian government must address the problem of Kurdish forces on its territory so that Ankara no longer has to act.

“There is now a new government in Damascus. I think that’s their primary concern now. So I think if they did, if they addressed this issue properly, there would be no reason for us to intervene,” he said.

Local witnesses told the French news agency AFP that the number of soldiers patrolling the Turkish side of the border had increased, but there was no sign of any unusual military activity.

Fidan also said that Turkiye recognized the new government in Syria as a “legitimate partner” for Ankara, which is why the Turkish embassy in Damascus had been reopened and the ambassador had been instructed to communicate with local and central government officials.

Officials from the United Nations, the European Union and other countries have also contacted the new government, Fidan noted, adding that the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) – whose leader is Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Julani, and is the de facto leader in Syria – should be removed from the list of “terrorist organizations”.

“I think it is time for the international community, starting with the United Nations, to remove its name from the terrorism list,” Fidan said of HTS, the main component of the coalition that currently governs Syria.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken admitted over the weekend that Washington was in contact with HTS and that talks with the group were in the broader context of Syria’s future.

The US State Department added HTS to its list of “foreign terrorist organizations” in 2019 May 2018 due to his affiliation with the Al-Nusra Front, an Al-Qaeda affiliate.

Since 2016, HTS’s al-Sharaa has sought to distance the organization from al-Qaeda, positioning itself and HTS as credible stewards of Syria in the post-Assad era.