Turkish president: We’ll not allow the region to be divided and Israel is playing with fire

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that unnamed forces are trying to destabilize Syria by inciting religious and ethnic strife, stressing that Türkiye won’t allow the region to be divided or its borders to be redrawn.

In a speech delivered by Erdogan, Monday, during an iftar banquet with foreign ambassadors accredited to Ankara at the headquarters of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the capital Ankara, he stressed the necessity for those who seek to benefit from Syria’s instability by inflaming ethnic and religious affiliations to realize that they will not achieve their goals.

“We”ll not allow our region to be reshaped and divided on the basis of new maps as happened a century ago,” he added.

Erdogan stressed the need not to forget that those who play the role of mounts in imperialist scenarios are ultimately cast aside.

He pointed out that a new phase began in Syria with the overthrow of the Assad regime on December 8, 2024, considering that their greatest aspirations are to build Syria and achieve its territorial and political unity and the coexistence of different ethnicities and sects side by side, and to be a source of trust and stability for all its neighbors.

The Turkish President expressed his appreciation for the new administration’s efforts to build Syria as he wished, stressing the continuation of the necessary support for it.

He explained that the conflict in Syria resulted in the deaths of one million people over 13 years and losses approaching 500 billion dollars, stressing that it is not possible for any country in the world to bear this heavy burden alone.

Erdogan called on everyone to provide strong support to the efforts of the Syrian people to restore their country to health, stressing Türkiye’s rejection of the reshaping and division of the region as happened a century ago.

He added, “If we don’t want history to repeat itself, the path to follow is clear… Türkiye has the ability to neutralize any threat to its security at its source”.

He stressed, “We recommend that everyone understand that there is no place for terrorism in the future of our country and our region, and that they build their plans on this basis instead of following their empty dreams that will end in disappointment”.

On the other hand, the Turkish President warned that Israeli officials are playing with fire through their provocations targeting al Aqsa Mosque.

Erdogan pointed out that the Palestinian people welcomed the month of Ramadan this year with sadness and pain, as more than 61,000 lives were lost in Gaza as a result of Israeli attacks.

He said that the hopes that had blossomed with the temporary ceasefire had begun to fade once again due to the arrogant Israeli positions that didn’t recognize the law.

He explained that the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is resorting to all means to exploit the fragile ceasefire agreement in Gaza.

He added, “As if the calls of Israeli officials to annex the West Bank weren’t enough, they are playing with fire through their provocations targeting al Aqsa Mosque,” stressing, “I remind once again those concerned that our first Islamic Qiblah, al Aqsa Mosque, is a red line for us”.

He said that no one will be able to uproot our brothers in Gaza from the lands where they were born, raised and sacrificed their lives for.

Erdogan stressed that Türkiye is making every possible effort to ensure that the Palestinians in Gaza live in peace and security on their homeland.

He continued, “We’re at the forefront of countries providing humanitarian aid to Gaza, and to date we have delivered about 100,000 tons of aid to Gaza with the support of friendly countries”.

The Turkish President stressed that Israel cannot enjoy the peace it seeks without establishing an independent and geographically integrated Palestinian state on the 1967 borders.