Syrian Kurds should not support Assad, says Turkish FM

TEHRAN - Anadolu Agency

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu (L) meets with Iran’s new President Hasan Rouhani (R) at the presidential office in Tehran. AFP photo

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu warned Kurds in the region Aug.5 over the results of any cooperation that they might make with the Syrian regime.

Davutoğlu, who went to Tehran on Aug. 4 to attend Iran’s new President Hasan Rouhani’s oath-taking ceremony held bilateral talks with several politicians, including Rouhani. The Foreign Minister replied to questions from reporters after the meeting.

Asked which issues were on the agenda at the meeting with the Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Nachirvan Barzani, who visited Ankara last week, Davutoğlu said, “They and we both share the opinion that Kurds are an important factor for the construction of peace in Syria and that this is only possible if all the Kurdish groups join the Syrian opposition.”

“It’s clear that any cooperation to be done with the Syrian regime would cause problems for Kurds. Mr. Barzani shares the same point-of-view. We agreed with him that we will be in solidarity with them for our Kurdish brothers to take the place that they deserve first in the Syrian opposition and then in a permanent structure in Syria.”

Davutoğlu stressed that however, they wouldn’t allow any activity that would harm Turkish borders.
The Foreign Minister said that he emphasized the regional issues, including the ongoing crisis in Syria and Egypt, with Rouhani.

“Despite all of our recommendations I told him [Rouhani] that it is [Syrian President] al-Assad who ruins peace and stability in Syria and that the security has been ruined even more recently. He said that they give importance to consultation on this issue with Turkey.”