The Turkish Defense Minister sets his country’s condition for exiting Syria
Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler said that Damascus has always indicated that the Turkish military presence hinders the full restoration of relations between the two countries.
However, he said, the Turkish forces are focused against security threats, especially groups designated on terrorist lists, such as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and the People’s Protection Units.
Güler explained that his country doesn’t want the territory of another country and will leave Syria as soon as the government and the opposition agree on a new constitution and hold elections, and that these two matters may pave the way for an end to the conflict in the country, which has exceeded a decade.
Speaking to the Turkish NTV channel, Güler added, His country’s soldiers sacrificed their lives in Syria so that people could live in peace in the border towns.
On the other hand, the Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal al Miqdad had previously confirmed that Damascus wouldn’t normalize its relations with Ankara, which occupies parts of Syrian territory, according to his statement.
While Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last September, “The Syrian side didn’t present any positive positions and that Damascus must move according to the facts on the ground, and refrain from actions that harm the path of restoration of relations between the two countries”.
It’s noteworthy that the Syrian authorities clearly set the condition for Türkiye’s exit from the country to restore Syrian-Turkish relations, which have been severed since 2011.
Since last year, Russia has been trying to restore them to what they were as part of efforts to end the intractable Syrian crisis.
