Türkiye to firmly counter terror threats in Syria, Turkish FM tells US counterpart

Türkiye will never allow terrorist groups to take advantage of the situation in Syria, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has told his US counterpart.

Fidan made the statement discussing the latest developments in Syria in a phone call with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Caliber.Az reports, citing Turkish media.

He stressed the importance of Syria's territorial integrity and political unity.

Noting that it is important for the international community to support the Syrian people in rebuilding the infrastructure that has been neglected for years, Fidan said that efforts should be made to ensure the uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid to Syria.

Fidan, in a previous speech, reaffirmed Ankara’s commitment to preventing ISIL and the PKK from exploiting Syria’s internal power vacuum.

The conversation also touched upon the necessity of a peaceful transfer of power through an “inclusive, Syrian-led process,” in alignment with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254, the U.S. State Department highlighted in a statement.

Blinken stressed the importance of safeguarding human rights, protecting vulnerable populations, and adhering to international humanitarian law in Syria. He reaffirmed the U.S.’s commitment to defeating the ISIL terror group.

Notably, on November 27, Syrian anti-regime forces launched a 10-day lightning offensive, capturing key cities, and then on December 8, the capital, Damascus.

The rapid advance, supported by defecting military units, led to the collapse of the Assad regime.

Al Assad and his family fled to Moscow, where Russia granted them asylum.

By Khagan Isayev