Türkiye does not have eyes 'even on pebble of any country': Erdoğan

ISTANBUL

Türkiye does not have eyes "even on a pebble of any country," President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Saturday.

Ankara hopes that neighboring Syria will achieve the peace and tranquility it has sought for 13 years, Erdoğan said in his address to Türkiye's AK Party Gaziantep 8th Ordinary Provincial Congress.

He noted that increasing attacks on civilians in Syria's Idlib appear to be the "last straw" that triggered the recent incidents.

The Turkish president underscored that his country cannot ignore developments in Syria, with which it shares a 910-kilometer (565-mile) border.

There is a new political and diplomatic reality in Syria, Erdoğan said, adding, "Syria belongs to Syrians, with all its ethnic, sectarian, and religious components."

Ankara is aware of the separatist terrorist organization's desire to "grab a log from the flood" in Syria, he said, warning that Türkiye will not tolerate any move that jeopardizes national security.

Türkiye wants to see a Syria where different identities live side by side peacefully and hopes to see such a Syria "in the very near future," Erdoğan added.

He stressed that it would be best for the region if all responsible actors, including international organizations, backed Syria's territorial integrity.

President Erdoğan emphasized that Syria has had enough wars and that the Syrian people deserve freedom, security, and peace in their homeland.

Moreover, he said that the Damascus regime was unable to comprehend the significance of the hand that Türkiye had extended and what it meant.

Regarding refugees in Türkiye, which hosts the largest number of Syrian refugees in the world, Erdoğan said history will record how his country successfully passed the test of humanity "despite all contrary propaganda."

Developments in Syria

Renewed fighting between regime forces and anti-regime groups broke out on Nov. 27 in rural areas west of the major city of Aleppo.

By Nov. 30, opposition forces had taken control of most of Aleppo’s city center and established dominance across the Idlib province.

On Dec. 1, the opposition Syrian National Army launched Operation Dawn of Freedom against the terrorist group PKK/YPG in the Tel Rifaat district of Aleppo's countryside, liberating the area from terror elements.

Anti-regime forces captured Hama on Thursday and continued to advance on Friday, seizing the Rastan and Talbiseh districts in the Homs province.