“Our fight against terrorist organizations will continue permanently”

Addressing a joint press conference following the 7th Tripartite Summit in the Astana Format, President Erdoğan said: “As Türkiye, we see no difference between terrorist organizations such as DAESH or the PKK/PYD/YPG. We reject the rationale of using one as a proxy to fight the other. Our fight against terrorist organizations will continue permanently without caring where they operate and who supports them.”

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President Vladimir Putin of Russia and President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi of Iran held a joint press conference following the 7^th Tripartite Summit in the Astana Format in Tehran.

“WE SEE NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS”

Noting that they reviewed the works aimed at establishing an environment of peace and stability in Syria, President Erdoğan said that they discussed the additional steps that would be taken jointly to terminate the conflict atmosphere in the country and achieve political settlement. 

Stressing that the Astana Platform has therefore proved to be the most effective initiative that would pave the way for a solution to the crisis in Syria, President Erdoğan said: “As the Astana guarantors we have reaffirmed our unabated determination to work to that end.”

The fight against terror is among the top items of the agenda, the President underlined. “As Türkiye, we see no difference between terrorist organizations such as DAESH or the PKK/PYD/YPG. We reject the rationale of using one as a proxy to fight the other. Our fight against terrorist organizations will continue permanently without caring where they operate and who supports them. We are determined to eradicate from Syria the malicious groups that threaten our national security. Our expectation from Russia and Iran is that they support Türkiye’s endeavors to that effect as the Astana guarantors. We have also reviewed the level of implementation of the previous agreements. The PKK/PYD/YPG terror is a joint issue of us all. We shouldn’t forget that this terrorist organization targets Syria’s territorial integrity. We have a consensus that the conflict in Syria can be solved only through political settlement. On the basis of this understanding, we discussed in detail the current stage in the political process and the steps that can be taken in the upcoming period.”

“WE HAVE REVIEWED THE WORKS AIMED AT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EXISTING AGREEMENTS”

Türkiye has reiterated its call for its Astana partners to speed up the political process in order to find a lasting and peaceful solution to the conflict, President Erdoğan said, emphasizing that it is imperative for the Constitutional Committee, a fruit of the of Astana process and the only mechanism that brings together the Syrian sides, to yield concrete outcomes.

 “Unfortunately, the Syrian regime has an uncompromising stance on this issue. Convening the follow-up meeting of the committee as soon as possible and successfully concluding the process in of importance in terms of the solution of the conflict in line with the United Nations parameters,” the President said. “In line with the UNSC resolution 2254, a peaceful environment should be established in which the Syrian people’s legitimate demands are met and security and stability are restored. We will increase our efforts to encourage the Syrian sides to work in this direction with a constructive approach. Also underpinning our settlement efforts in Syria is the goal of putting an end to the humanitarian tragedy unfolding in the country. We should never forget that people in Syria live in tents in an inhumane environment. Taking this into consideration, we take steps to build briquette houses in the north of Syria and to settle our Syrian brothers and sisters in these houses. In this spirit, we have also discussed in detail the situation in Idlib which is home to over 4 million people. We stressed the importance of the preservation of the ceasefire. We have reviewed the works aimed at the implementation of the existing agreements.” 

“OUR GOAL IS TO ENSURE OUR SYRIAN BROTHERS AND SISTERS’ SAFE RETURN TO THEIR COUNTRY”

Noting that Syrian refugees’ return to Syria was also on the agenda of the summit, President Erdoğan said: “Our goal is to ensure our Syrian brothers and sisters’ voluntary, safe and dignified return to their country with peace in their hearts. I wholeheartedly believe that the circumstances conducive to this can be created in solidarity.”

Pointing out that over half a million Syrians have thus far returned to the areas cleared of terror in Syria, President Erdoğan stated: “We will maintain these works in the upcoming period as well. We are now faced with a picture in which over 4 million Syrian civilians need international aid more than ever. As Türkiye, we have provided every support to facilitate such aid. It is of vital importance that our friends also exert the same effort. We welcome the extension of the UNSC resolution underpinning the aid mechanism to the northwest of Syria even if for six months. We are determined to continue our efforts for the settlement of the Syrian conflict on the basis of the UNSC resolution 2254.”

Joint Statement