There is ground for peace in Syria, says Erdoğan

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has expressed his opinion that there is a ground for peace and stability in Syria and that he is still hopeful of Ankara-Damascus normalization.

“I am still hopeful of [Syrian President Bashar] al-Assad. I still have hope to come together [with Assad] and put Türkiye-Syria relationship on track. Because we have to demolish terror structures between Türkiye-Syria [border]. There is a ground for a fair and lasting peace,” Erdoğan said in his interview with journalists traveling with him to Riyadh and Baku on Nov. 13.

Erdoğan attended the extraordinary summit of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League in Riyadh and later went to Baku to participate in the COP29 summit.

Recalling that Türkiye has extended its hand to Syria for normalization, Erdoğan said this process will pave the way for peace and comfort in the region.

“It is not us that threatens Syria’s territorial integrity. Terror organizations, namely PKK/PYD/YPG are threatening. It is not Syrians who fled their country are threatening the territorial integrity of Syria. Assad must realize this and should take steps to create a new environment in his country,” the president stated.

He also underlined that the Israeli threat is next to Syria, urging the ring of fire can spread out to unstable lands quickly.

Terror-free zone in northern Syria

In response to a question, President Erdoğan reiterated Türkiye's plans to establish a 30-kilometer-deep zone inside Syria to enhance efforts against terrorist organizations and create conditions conducive to the return of Syrian refugees.

“We have made certain progress in this regard. We continue to build homes in northern Syria,” the president said.

On security, the Turkish military and intelligence services have made huge achievements in the fight against terror in line with Ankara’s ultimate plans of wiping terrorism out in the region, Erdoğan said.

“Cross border operations are always on our agenda for the security of our country and comfort of our people. If we feel threat, we are already prepared for a cross border operation,” Erdoğan said, citing the continued instability in northern Syria.

“This creates a suitable environment for the terror organizations to benefit from the chaos there. This is a security risk for us,” the president underlined. “Steps that we will take afterward will be to this end. There are still areas on our border under the control of the terror organizations. It is impossible to feel totally safe without clearing these regions from them.”

Erdoğan repeated that establishing dialogue with Syria will create a better environment for this country and the region.

Erdoğan hopeful of Turkish-American ties in new era

On questions about ties with the United States following the victory of Donald Trump, Erdoğan underlined that he will have a lot of opportunities to engage with the new U.S. president to determine future ties between the two allies.

In this context, it will be important to see the new staff at the Trump administration, the president said, underlining that there is still time until January when the president-elect will take office.

“Trump administration sees economy as a priority target. Türkiye is a country that is offering investment opportunities thanks to its strategic location and young population. We can create opportunities for increasing trade volume and investments,” Erdoğan stated.