UPDATE - Syria’s territorial integrity must ‘absolutely’ be protected: Turkish President Erdogan

ADDS MORE REMARKS FROM TURKISH PRESIDENT

By Seda Sevencan and Serdar Dincer

ISTANBUL (AA) - Syria’s territorial integrity must "absolutely” be preserved, Türkiye’s president stressed Monday in the wake of the rapid collapse of the Assad regime.

“Neither the (terrorist group) PKK and its extensions in Syria nor Daesh/ISIS are our country's interlocutors, but rather its enemies. Syria's territorial integrity must absolutely be protected,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after a Cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara, citing two terror groups that tried to exploit the instability in Syria to carve out territory, including along Türkiye’s borders.

Türkiye welcomes the liberation of Tel Rifaat and Manbij, two Syrian cities that suffered for years from terrorist occupation despite promises made, said Erdogan.

The Bashar al-Assad regime “arrogantly” rejected Türkiye's many calls to settle the Syrian conflict through dialogue and did not appreciate Ankara's extended hand, he added.

When Assad fled on Sunday, he left behind a Syria with nearly one million people killed and 12 million uprooted, with many cities turned into rubble, Erdogan said, referring to the death and destruction from 13 years of civil war.

- 'Dark era in Syria ended, bright days ahead'

Giving the names of Turkish provinces along the border, Erdogan said: “If one half of our heart is Gaziantep, Hatay and Sanliurfa, the other half is in (the Syrian cities of) Afrin, Aleppo, Hama, Homs and Damascus.”

Türkiye’s sensitivity on Syria was never driven by self-interest, he said, adding that Ankara always viewed the issue through “the lens of conscience.”

The Turkish nation will forever carry their embrace of oppressed Syrians facing dark days as a “badge of honor,” Erdogan said, seemingly referring to the millions of Syrians who came to Türkiye during the war, many of whom are now flocking back to Syria.

The voluntary, safe, dignified and orderly return of Syrians to their homeland will increase with stability in Syria, he noted, adding: "I believe and pray that the homesickness of our Syrian brothers and sisters for 13 years will gradually come to an end. We have already started to see signs of this.”

Noting that Türkiye has been fulfilling the requirements of neighborly law and being a great state since the beginning of the Syrian conflict, Erdogan said his country has always been in favor of peace, freedom, dialogue, justice and Syria's peaceful settlement as soon as possible.

"Syria belongs to Syrians with all their ethnic, religious and sectarian identities.

“A Syria where all Syrians live in peace, regardless of whether they are Arabs, Turkmens, Kurds, Sunnis, Alawites or Christians, is Türkiye's greatest longing, dream and goal," he added.

Ankara has no designs on the territory of any other country, Erdogan reiterated, underlining that the sole purpose of its anti-terrorist cross-border operations is to protect Türkiye.

“As of yesterday, a dark era has ended in Syria, bright days have begun,” he said.

He also vowed that Türkiye will not tolerate the emergence of new sources of terrorism beyond its borders.

With its “peaceful, active” policies that change the course of world affairs, Türkiye shapes history and rewrites both its own and human history, said Erdogan.

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.

- 'We hope to work closer with our Omani brothers'

Noting that Omani Sultan Haitham bin Tariq recently paid his first-ever visit to Türkiye at the head of state level, Erdogan highlighted that they have crowned this visit with the signing of 10 agreements in different fields.

"We appreciate Oman's constructive role in resolving crises and hope to work more closely with our Omani brothers in the future," he said.