Addressing a convention of his Justice and Development Party (AK Party) on Tuesday in the capital of Ankara, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Türkiye would stand with the people of Syria “to preserve its territorial integrity” and that terrorism in Syria by PKK/YPG and Daesh would be “crushed.”
“We can’t let Syria be divided again,” Erdoğan said as he congratulated the “magnificent revolution” of the Syrian people. He was referring to the existence of the PKK terrorist group’s Syrian wing YPG in northeastern Syria, which carved out a so-called autonomous region for itself. The Syrian National Army (SNA) has recently captured two key towns from the terrorist group.
“From now on, we cannot allow Syria to be divided again … Any attack on the freedom of the Syrian people, the stability of the new administration and the integrity of its lands will find us standing against it,” he said.
Ankara openly backed the Syrian opposition to the Assad regime since the unrest evolved into a civil war in the neighboring country more than a decade ago. In recent months, however, it sought to normalize ties with Assad. Erdoğan repeatedly urged the ousted leader of the Damascus regime to reinvigorate ties and find a political solution to the conflict. Assad was initially receptive to Ankara’s call before stalling the process. When anti-regime forces launched their lightning offensive in late November, Türkiye reiterated its call to Assad, to no avail.
Türkiye is among the countries most influenced by Syria’s civil war, especially in terms of a massive refugee influx and the emergence of the YPG in northeastern Syria, a lethal threat to the country. The stance of Türkiye, which has been highly critical of the Assad regime’s oppression of its own people, adhered to the preservation of Syria’s territorial integrity and establishment of a political dialogue between the regime and the opposition Türkiye backed in the fight against terrorist groups in the north.
Erdoğan began his speech to provincial heads of the AK Party by describing “historical” developments in Syria.
“People of Syria toppled the order of oppression that lasted for decades and by God’s will, crowned a noble uprising by standing up for its freedom, rights and future,” Erdoğan said before quoting his favorite poet Abdurrahim Karakoç: “A morning brighter than snow will follow nervous sleep and blinding darkness. A morning will rise on the shoulders of martyrs.”
“After 61 years of the Baathist dictatorship, an era of darkness, Syria now has brighter days. Cruel Assad’s minority regime, which relied on oppression and massacres for its survival, collapsed on Dec. 8 after the liberation of Damascus. A door to a prosperous and happy future was opened for Syria, the people of Syria,” he said.
The president expressed hope that forces would soon crush Daesh and PKK/YPG terrorist groups elsewhere in Syria. “Thus, Syria’s territorial integrity and sovereignty will be cemented across the country. We don’t think any sane, conscious power will cooperate with terrorist groups in a time when the people of Syria are closer to re-establishing unity and brotherhood,” he said.
The president underlined that Türkiye would always support the people of Syria in its political, diplomatic, economic and military capacity in their “historical struggle.” “Syria belongs to Syrians of all different faiths and ethnic groups,” he stressed.
He also said Türkiye exerted efforts and made sacrifices for Syria to reach the stage it is now. “We protected the people of Syria everyone rejected, both in our territories and beyond our borders, for years. We gladly did it, and we passed this test of humanity in those challenging times,” he said.
Erdoğan complained that some people in Türkiye tried to stain the country’s unique hospitality toward refugees “through hate speech and racism.” “But our nation did not fall for the traps of this fascist mindset,” he said.
Since the eruption of the Syrian civil war, Türkiye has hosted millions of Syrians fleeing violence, making it home to the world’s largest refugee population at its peak. The war has been devastating, with hundreds of thousands of lives lost. Over half of Syria’s pre-war population of 23 million was displaced, either internally or as refugees abroad. A significant number crossed the border into Türkiye, seeking safety and stability.
Under the leadership of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), the Turkish government opened its borders to those escaping the conflict, earning domestic praise for its humanitarian stance and sharp criticism from opposition parties, especially the Republican People’s Party (CHP).
“Türkiye will not allow fanatical beliefs, ideologies, sick and twisted dreams of some people who shed blood in our region and set it on fire with the aid of powers they rely on. The ongoing tragedy in Palestine, incidents in Syria and lessons we learned from the ongoing war in the north (the Russian-Ukraine conflict) guide us in this stand,” Erdoğan said.
“We want security, peace and prosperity for everyone. Ensuring our own security, peace, political and economic stability is done by spreading this climate of peace throughout the region,” he said.
Erdoğan also stressed that Türkiye would always support Syrian refugees preparing to return home as they did in the past. “We will facilitate their safe and dignified return,” he stated.
