The Turkish president warned that Ankara would act quickly in response to any perceived threats, a reference to Kurdish groups operating in Syrian territory.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan vowed on Monday to uphold Syria’s territorial integrity as he promised to continue his country’s fight against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
“With the epic revolution that took place in our neighbour Syria, a new era has begun both in this country and in our region,” he said during a speech following his cabinet’s first meeting of 2025.
Erdoğan reiterated that Turkey supports Syria in its efforts to avoid destabilisation, and warned that Ankara would act swiftly against perceived threats.
“If we see a risk in this regard, we will take the necessary steps swiftly,” he said.
Erdoğan’s comments come amid a wave of Israeli airstrikes on weapons and military infrastructure in Syria.
Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in the country since the outbreak of the country’s civil war in 2011, though it rarely acknowledges them. It says its targets are Iranian-backed groups that supported Syria’s ousted president, Bashar al-Assad.
During his speech, the Turkish leader also addressed the nation’s decades-long campaign against the PKK.
“The circle is closing for the separatist organisation and its extension,” he said, referring to the Kurdish People’s Defence Units (YPG) in northern Syria.
Erdoğan pledged to achieve a “terror-free Turkey” through peaceful means if possible, but with force if necessary — an allusion to a proposal from ultranationalists that the imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan be released in exchange for the the armed group’s total disbandment.
During Syria’s uprising-turned-conflict, the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) carved out an enclave of semi-autonomous rule across northeastern Syria, never fully allying themselves either with al-Assad in Damascus or with the rebels trying to overthrow him.
Ankara sees the SDF as an affiliate of its sworn enemy, the PKK, which it considers a terrorist organisation. Turkey regularly launches strikes against Kurdish fighters in Syria and neighbouring Iraq, accusing them of being PKK-linked.
Even with the al-Assad family out of the picture, Ankara’s stance appears unchanged. This was evident in Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s landmark visit to Syria, as he reaffirmed a strong position on the Kurdish-led group during his meeting with Ahmad al-Sharaa, the de facto leader of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, the rebel group that ousted al-Assad last month.
