Foreign fighters should be returned to home countries: Fidan

ANKARA

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has stated that ISIL members and their families held in detention should be repatriated to their home countries, emphasizing that keeping them there under the guardianship of another terror group, YPG, has already turned into a source of crisis.

“Türkiye has a longstanding position concerning DAESH prisoners and their families. The DAESH prisoners should be repatriated by their home countries,” Fidan said, using the Arabic acronym for the ISIL terror group.

Fidan’s remarks came during a joint press conference with visiting Belgian Foreign Minister Bernard Quintin in Ankara late on Jan. 2.

Belgium is one of the countries that has citizens among the ISIL prisoners kept in eastern Syria. YPG, a designated terror organization by Ankara, controls the prisons and camps in cooperation with the United States.

The fact the prisoners are not subject to any prosecution and there is no certainty over their future has already become a source of tension, the Turkish foreign minister stressed. He also underlined that keeping the YPG as the guardian of these prisoners had put the international system into a dilemma and crisis.

The best way to tackle this crisis is to eliminate security threats against Türkiye and ensure the territorial integrity of Syria and the security of all Kurdish groups in Syria, the minister underlined, adding that Türkiye has its proposals to this end.

The Syrian government can take control of these prisons, and if they cannot, Türkiye is ready to lend support, Fidan said.

Regarding the fight against the YPG, the Turkish minister reiterated that all non-Syrian terrorists should leave Syria as soon as possible.

Quintin, on a question on the same issues, underlined that these prisoners cannot be kept there forever. “A solution needs to be found on these camps. They can’t be held there. The Syrian government should find a solution to this question,” he said.

On Syria’s future, Fidan said Türkiye and Belgium are on the same page, stressing, “We hope and wish that the people of Syria will quickly build their future.”

He emphasized that Syria’s reconstruction requires international support, and Ankara is committed to assisting with the country’s security, territorial integrity and rebuilding efforts.