Time to get rid of PKK, ISIL virus in Syria, says Turkish FM
ANKARA
The PKK terrorist organization poses a regional threat, and the Turkish top diplomat has urged that no tolerance be shown for the resurgence of ISIL in Syria, emphasizing that it is time to "get rid of the terrorism virus."
“Now, it is time to put an end to terror activities of Daesh and PKK,” Foreign Minister Hakan said in an interview with TRT World in the aftermath of the Munich Security Conference between Feb. 14 and 16.
Using an Arabic acronym for ISIL, Fidan urged all the countries for a collective effort to “get rid of this virus.”
Fidan attended the conference and expressed Türkiye’s views concerning Syria in a special session with his Syrian counterpart, Hasan Al-Shaibani.
During the interview, Fidan reiterated Türkiye’s concerns about the PKK terrorist organization’s extensive presence in Syria under the pretext of fighting the ISIL as the United States’ local partner.
“I think not many people know the very fact that PKK is occupying one-third of the entire Syrian land and sitting on some very important energy resources which are badly needed by the rest of the Syrian population,” he stressed.
Describing the PKK as an existential threat not only for Türkiye but also for Kurds in Syria, Iraq and Iran, he said, “In any state country, we cannot have armed groups who are not reporting to the central government.”
Fidan also stressed the importance of regional ownership in combating terrorism, referring to Ankara’s attempt to create a platform with the participation of Syria, Jordan and Iraq in preventing a possible ISIL resurgence and controlling the prisons and camps in which tens of thousands of ISIL members are being kept.
Ceasefire than long-term peace plan needed in Ukraine
The Turkish foreign minister has also commented on the growing U.S. pressure to put an end to the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war.
He reaffirmed Türkiye’s readiness to contribute to peace and reconstruction in Ukraine by any means necessary, saying, “But first of all, we need to have a ceasefire. And we need to have a workable, long-term peace plan.”
Underlining the big challenges in front of a peace agreement between the two warring states, Fidan recalled that European parties as well as Türkiye deserve to be a part of peace negotiations.
“This is happening in our immediate neighborhood… And we have close ties on both sides,” the minister noted.
On potential concessions regarding Ukraine’s territorial integrity, Fidan acknowledged the possibility of “bitter choices.”
“In an ideal world, we would like to see that the territorial integrity [of Ukraine] is preserved. But this is a time of war,” he said.
