Transcription
Let's take you straight to Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who is speaking here at the Doha Forum. Let's just listen in.
"The new administration must be established in an orderly manner. The principle of inclusiveness must never be compromised. The desire for revenge must be set aside. It is time to unite and reconstruct the country. Today, we call on all actors in and outside the region to act with prudence and calm and to refrain from steps that could further destabilize the region. The territorial integrity and unity of Syria must be preserved.
Dear friends, we have to be watchful during this transition period. We are in communication with the groups to make sure that terrorist organizations, especially Daesh and PKK, are not taking advantage of the situation. Turkey is committed to continuing the fight against terrorism. All minorities, non-Muslim Christians, non-Arabs, and Kurds should be treated equally. Any possible chemical weapons inventory or related materials must be secured. The new governing body should be inclusive of all parties. Opposition groups should be united. State institutions should be preserved and work properly. With this understanding, we will continue to support efforts to establish stability and security in Syria.
For the last week, we had intense dialogues and deliberations with regional and international actors. Yesterday was a particularly important day, especially during the Doha Forum for the future of Syria. First, the Aana countries—Turkey, Russia, and Iran—came together to discuss the developments. We really appreciate the constructive approaches of Russia and Iran. The UN Special Envoy for Syria was also with us; he made an enormous contribution, and we welcome his efforts. Then we came together with Arab countries: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq, Egypt, and Jordan. We also thank those brotherly countries for their constructive approaches. We had discussions with Americans as well. We will continue cooperation with regional and international actors. Thank you. Any questions?"
"Thank you. We will have four questions from the floor. Andrew from Reuters, please."
"Thank you, Your Excellency. No, I cannot say for sure. I cannot comment on that. I mean, I think he’s somewhere, but I cannot comment on that—probably outside of Tia."
"Your Excellency, Andrew Mills from Reuters. I want to ask about the political process that needs to take place now to ensure that Syria goes through a stable transition. What is Turkey doing to ensure that that transition is stable, and what confidence do you have in this process?"
"Well, thank you. First of all, we've been, as you know and as I stated during my statement, working for the stability of Syria for a long time. We are familiar with the actors; we are familiar with the problems, and they are challenging ones. We have to work very hard. As I stated, we have to work together with the Syrian people—not only Turkey but also regional actors and international actors—to make sure that there is a good and smooth transition period. No more harm to the civilian people, start delivering basic services for the people, and most importantly, assure the regional countries that the new administration and new Syria will not pose a threat to its neighbors. On the contrary, the new Syria will address the existing problems and eliminate the threats."
"Thank you, sir. Let's take the second question from the other row. Victoria from AP."
"Victoria, excuse me. Hello, Victoria Eastwood from Associated Press. Can I ask, did you or your government speak to Mr. Assad in his final days and hours inside the country, and what effort did he make to try and stay in power?"
"Well, unfortunately, as you know, especially our president for the last couple of months has been trying to reach out to the Syrian regime, particularly to Mr. Assad, but it all failed. We knew that something was coming because, as I said, we are very much familiar with the problems of Syria, and we know how much the pressure is mounting on the groups because of refugees and other issues, especially the economic ones. The regime was slowly decaying and collapsing, and we were seeing this. Therefore, we really wanted to do something to prevent this. But to short answer, no, we didn't speak to them because there was no contact at all."
"The third question—Mila from TRT World."
"Hello, I have a little longer question. So how did the war that lasted for nearly 50 years end in just almost 15 days? And we have Israel and opposition at the same border now. Will there be any conflicts, and what will be the role of Turkey in rebuilding Syria?"
"Thank you. First of all, you know, since the Aana process for the war in 2016, the regime has had precious time to address the existing problems. But we knew that up until 2016, the regime was running on high adrenaline, so they didn't care about their problems, their institutional incapacity, and other issues. However, they could have used this precious time to address the existing problems, but they didn't. Instead, we saw a slow decay and collapse of the regime. That explains why, almost without firing one bullet, Aleppo fell immediately, followed by the other cities. Turkey will continue with the neighboring countries to reconstruct, and the existing administration is also very important for us to work together in whatever capacity we can to help address their economic problems and other issues. We will certainly continue to work with the new administration."
"Well, thank you, sir. And the final question is from the Turkish press—Bishan from CNN Turkey."
"Mr. Minister, would you like to ask in English or Turkish?"
"English."
"Okay, of course. How will or should the coordination be ensured among so many groups during this process? And as well, what is your assessment of Trump's statements? Because it was interesting; we see American officials once again emphasizing the threat of Daesh and signaling continued cooperation with another terrorist organization, YPG. So what will Ankara do to prevent the establishment of a terrorist state in Syria? Could a new operation be on the agenda at this stage, or should we expect new agreements with the new administration of the U.S.? What will be the fate of the regions cleared of terrorism by Turkey and the Syrian National Army?"
"Well, thank you. As you know, the opposition forces are comprised of different groups, but they have a coordination mechanism among themselves. I think this mechanism will improve in the coming days because right now they have a bigger job at hand. So I hope and we wish that they can come together and start working in an orderly manner to have a good transition period by including all the parties inside Syria. As for your question about terrorism, we are equally concerned about Daesh and other terrorist organizations taking advantage of this situation during the transition period. So we are watchful and mindful to make sure that Daesh and PKK are not taking advantage of this situation. We are in contact with our American friends; they know how sensitive we are on the YPG-PKK issue. They know that whatever threat comes from them to Turkey, we will immediately respond and react. I think with the new incoming administration in the U.S., we will have some conversations on this issue as well. As I said, there was no communication coming from Assad's side."
"Sir, before we leave, would you like to say a few words in Turkish?"
"Well, we said that was the final question. Now the story is going to say a few words in Turkish, and then we are going to conclude. This brings us to the end of the conference. Thank you, sir."
"Thank you. We thank you. Yesterday, I had a very constructive meeting with my colleagues."
"Come on, this is a press conference. Let him ask the question."
"Yeah, thank you. You said that the opposition, all the parties, the SDF, also consider itself as opposition. Turkey has not accepted under any circumstances. Do you think there's a possibility to negotiate?"
"Well, there are very legitimate Kurdish parties that we work together with in Northern Syria, and they've been part of the wider and broader Syrian opposition for a long time. However, any PKK extension in Syria cannot be considered a legitimate partner to engage with in any talks in Syria because they are filled with international terrorist fighters among their ranks. PKK comes from Turkey, Iraq, and Iran; they are non-Syrians. Non-Syrians are running the so-called SDF, and everybody knows this. This is an open secret. So, in short, no, unless they change themselves."
"Would you like to say a few things in Turkish, sir?"
"For those of you joining us here on Al Jazeera News, that was Hakan Fidan, the Foreign Minister for Turkey. We've been wondering all day what the response from Turkey would be to the very fast-moving developments in Syria, and he very clearly pointed out several issues. He said that President Erdoğan reached out to the regime in Damascus to try and find a way forward, certainly a peace deal with either the opposition and also the return of the refugees, but there was no contact at all. He hopes for a peaceful transition in terms of the current situation that we're seeing with HTS, the armed group that is now taking charge of most parts of Syria and significant cities that we've been discussing this past several hours. He's also been very clear about the relationship he wants with any new regime or government in Damascus, and that they must have a cordial relationship with no terrorists on the border with Turkey. Turkey will not stand for this, and they will respond accordingly.
Also, in terms of the Astana process, which was the peace process instigated by the international community trying to find a way forward for Syria, he also said that Damascus was very slow on that and that there was no real progress, so they only have themselves to blame. A lot to ponder on, really. So let's join Cengiz Culu, our correspondent in Turkey near the Syrian border. As I say, we were waiting for a Turkish response, and we've had a very clear response now in terms of what the government is thinking. What's the reaction like, the atmosphere where you are on the border in terms of those developments to the south of Turkey's border?"
"Well, yes, as you said, this was the first very clear response from the Turkish government because until this operation led by the opposition was launched, the Turkish president was repeating that he has been trying to reach a hand to Bashar al-Assad, but he was not responding. So now they have accepted the situation that Bashar al-Assad is not going to be in Syria anymore in terms of governance. Turkey has been supporting the Syrian people's will and the territorial integrity of the country because if the why did Syria might mean divided, this is why territorial integrity and border security have always been very important in Ankara's rhetoric. As we understood from Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan, they are embracing the recent developments and situation very warmly, but as he said, they are also observing and acting. Of course, from now on, there is another case that is waiting for all regional players—how everything is going to be run. But currently, they will be supporting the new government and their steps unless, you know, the SDF."
"Yes, we certainly understand the Turkish perspective, certainly from what the Foreign Minister said and, of course, the history that both of these countries have with each other. The main aspect at the moment and the big question mark will be the return of refugees that have been hosted by Turkey these past 13 years and the burden that Turkey has faced looking after them, as well as the problems that Turkey has also faced in terms of security along that northern border and southern Syria, which it has also taken charge of parts of. These are all questions—well, there are questions, aren't there—about how this is all going to be resolved and how quickly those refugees are going to return if they want to to Syria."
"Indeed, it's because Turkey has been trying to promote the voluntary returns of Syrian refugees back to their country. But of course, despite Aana talks, the SOI deals, and everything, all these escalation zones have been violated by both the Syrian government and through Russian airstrikes. That's why it wasn't safe for the Syrians to return. But now they have liberated their country; their main threat, which is the Bashar al-Assad government, is gone, and the government bureaucracy actually gave up Bashar al-Assad. So that's why we heard Hakan Fidan saying that millions can now safely return home, which Turkey actually expects due to the reasons you have mentioned. And please, let's not forget Turkey is also going through a huge economic crisis, which gave a big loss to the ruling AK Party during the municipal elections and even decreased their votes in the general elections in 2023. That's why for President Erdoğan and his government, being able to send Syrians back to their home safe and sound is a very important win, a very important step. Because either they had to make up with Bashar al-Assad, which didn't work at all, or provide a safe return for the Syrians back home. The second option didn't work, as Fidan stated, but now the safe return is possible, of course. But of course, in Aleppo, Hama, Damascus, everything must be returnable for those Syrians because some of them lost their homes. Maybe when they go back, they are going to live in tents; who knows what's going to happen? But many are now dreaming of going back home."
"Thank you, Cengiz Culu, there for us on the Turkey-Syria border. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to get the latest news from Al Jazeera."