Türkiye wishes to see transition in Syria occur in 'healthiest' way: Vice president

By Serdar Dincel

ISTANBUL (AA) – Türkiye's Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz has said his country wishes to see that the transition process in Syria proceeds in the "healthiest" manner and with an understanding that includes the entire Syrian people of various religions, sects, and ethnic identities.

"Syrians deserve it. Syria belongs to the Syrians, and we definitely do not find it right to intervene in Syria from outside," Yilmaz said in his address at the International Strategic Communication Summit, also known as Stratcom, in Istanbul on Friday.

Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus early Sunday, signaling the collapse of the Baath Party regime, which had been in power in Syria since 1963.

Reiterating Türkiye's full respect for Syria’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, he noted that the international community should stand in solidarity with the Syrian people during this process and actively contribute to the reconstruction of the war-torn country.

Yilmaz assured that Ankara will continue to show solidarity with the Syrian people, adding, "While preventing and combating terror threats against Türkiye on the one hand, we will make every effort to rebuild Syria and turn it into a geography where people can live in a safe environment with its economy and politics on the other hand."

The Turkish vice president, in his speech at the Stratcom Summit, which is being held under the theme AI in Communication: Trends, Traps, and Transition, said that the issue of how and for what purposes artificial intelligence and technology are used is also important, adding, "We see what is happening in Gaza; we saw what happened in Lebanon."

"When technological means are used for genocide for inhumane purposes, the most advanced technologies unfortunately produce the most inhumane results," he lamented.