Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has dismissed as “ludicrous” allegations by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump who called the removal of Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad an “unfriendly takeover” by Turkey. During a news conference last week, Trump praised Turkey’s move, adding that the country had performed this takeover with minimal loss of life.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Fidan made it clear that labeling what is happening in Syria as a takeover by Turkey would be a “grave mistake.” He said, “For the Syrian people, it is not a takeover. If there is any takeover, it is the will of the Syrian people asserting itself.”
Fidan also emphasized that Turkey does not want to be seen as a hegemonic regional power in Syria, given the history of domination that has brought devastation to the area. “The last thing we want is to be seen as ruling Syria. A culture of domination has destroyed our region,” he said, calling for cooperation rather than any form of hegemony, whether Turkish, Iranian, or Arab.
Marking concerns from the U.S. media over a possible military incursion by Turkey against Kurdish forces in Syria, Fidan labeled the YPG either Peoples’ Protection Units as posing a big threat to their nation, due in the respects that it is considered simply an extension of the so-called Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which both Turkey and the West have designated a terrorist organization.
Fidan slammed the view that the YPG was helping the West counter ISIS: “This is a misrepresentation of their true identity. They are there as a terrorist organization.” He called on Western allies to recognize the YPG’s affiliation with the PKK and asked Washington to stop military aid to the Syrian Democratic Forces, which is mainly composed of YPG fighters.
With a new government in Damascus, Fidan indicated that addressing the Kurdish issue lies within the Syrian administration’s responsibilities. “If they tackle this issue properly, there would be no reason for us to intervene,” he stated.
Local witnesses report that Turkish military patrols have increased along the border, though nothing out of the ordinary in terms of military movements has been observed. Fidan also said that Turkey considers the new Syrian administration as a “legitimate partner,” hence the reopening of the Turkish embassy in Damascus and instructions to the ambassador to engage with local and central officials.
He also pointed out that officials from the United Nations, European Union, and other countries have also contacted the new Syrian administration. Fidan also asked for the delisting of the HTS group from terrorism designations: “It is time for the international community, starting from the UN, to remove their name from the terrorism list.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also admitted over the weekend that Washington was in contact with HTS, but positioned the contacts as part of a greater look at what happens with the future of Syria. For its part, the U.S. State Department branded HTS back in May 2018 as a “foreign terrorist organization,” for its relationship with al-Nusra Front, affiliated to al-Qaeda. Since then, HTS’s leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has tried to create some distance between his outfit and al-Qaeda, posturing HTS as a valid interlocutor in any Syrian future beyond the Assad regime.