UPDATE - No room for ‘state within a state’ or separate armed forces in Syria: Turkish president

ADDS REMARKS FROM ERDOGAN; EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Esra Tekin and Busra Nur Cakmak

ANKARA/ISTANBUL (AA) - There can be no “state within a state” or separate armed forces in Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday, stressing that the country’s crisis must be resolved peacefully and in line with existing agreements.

Speaking at the International Contracting Services Award Ceremony, Erdogan said a political solution consistent with the spirit of the political agreement remains the only viable path forward.

Erdogan said that Syrian men, women and children are worn down by years of conflict and devastation and they want peace and stability. He added that no cause can justify imposing further suffering on the Syrian people.

“The shelf life of terror, violence, and weapons has expired; their era is over. In particular, there is no longer any possibility of achieving results by pushing children as young as 14 or 15 to the front, hiding behind them, and exploiting their blood and lives,” said the president.

He called on “Kurdish brothers, sisters, and fellow citizens not to fall for schemes that aim to undermine our eternal brotherhood and sow discord among us.”

Syria has extended a ceasefire with the terrorist organization YPG/SDF by 15 days, the Defense Ministry said late Friday in a statement carried by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).

The ministry said the ceasefire will apply across all operational sectors of the Syrian Army and will take effect at 11 pm on Jan. 24, 2026.

Last week, the Defense Ministry said the ceasefire with the SDF took effect at 8 pm local time (1700GMT) and was intended to ease tensions while talks continued.

The Syrian presidency announced separately that a “mutual understanding” had been reached with the SDF on the future of eastern Hasakah province.

Under the understanding, the SDF was given four days to conduct consultations and prepare “a detailed plan for practical integration of the areas,” the presidency said.

If an agreement is reached, Syrian forces will not enter the city centers of Hasakah and Qamishli and will instead remain on their outskirts, the statement added.

The presidency said the two sides agreed to integrate all SDF military and security forces into the structures of defense and interior ministries, while consultations continue on technical details.

According to the statement, SDF head Mazloum Abdi will nominate a candidate for deputy defense minister, as well as one for Hasakah governor. The group will also submit lists of nominees for representation in the People’s Assembly and for employment in various state institutions.

Syrian forces will also not enter Kurdish villages, the presidency said, noting that no armed forces will be present there except for local security units drawn from the residents of those areas.

- ‘The right path for Syria is clear’

Erdogan said Türkiye will not remain indifferent or a passive observer to the suffering of its friends and brothers anywhere in the world. “Throughout our history, we have been a nation that has embraced those in need without discrimination. Today, we act with the same sincerity. We are meeting humanitarian aid requests from our Kurdish brothers living beyond our borders in close cooperation with the Syrian government.”

The president said the Syrian government and President Ahmed Al-Shara has shown great sensitivity to the issue. “In other words, a very sensible approach is being followed to ensure that no one is harmed, no one is victimized, and the issue is resolved without further bloodshed. As Türkiye, we find this extremely valuable.”

“We are greatly pleased to see that the latest decree guarantees the fundamental rights of our Kurdish brothers and sisters, who were not even considered citizens under the Assad regime,” he said “The right path for Syria is clear. We want everyone to see that repeating the same mistakes and errors will lead nowhere.”

The president also said that a major reconstruction and rehabilitation campaign will begin throughout Syria, especially in the residential areas that the former regime had reduced to rubble with barrel bombs.

As Syria attains stability and security, all neighboring countries, starting with Türkiye, will directly feel its positive effects, he added.