Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu stated that "our forces will not withdraw from northern Iraq and Syria at this time." In a press interview, he said, "Withdrawing from northern Iraq and northern Syria would mean halting our military operations against terrorism and allowing terrorists to approach our borders, which poses a threat to our national security." He emphasized that "terrorist organizations will fill the void that would be created if Turkish forces withdraw from northern Syria, and national security and border security are extremely important for Ankara."
Çavuşoğlu stressed, "We do not seek to carve out parts of Syrian territory, and we can only withdraw from northern Syria once security is established and full stability returns to those areas." Responding to a question about the possibility of a meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, he said, "Yes, the possibility of a meeting exists, but a roadmap for this meeting needs to be prepared first, which includes not imposing preconditions, examining the political phase, combating terrorism, and establishing stability in Syria."
He added, "Engaging with the Syrian regime is beneficial if we want to return Syrian refugees, if we want to continue combating terrorism more effectively, and if we want to maintain Syria's territorial integrity." He affirmed that "if stability is not achieved in Syria, the negative repercussions for Turkey will be significant." Çavuşoğlu also pointed out that "Turkey does not trust the United States and France regarding the fight against terrorism," indicating that Washington continues to support the terrorists of the "PKK/YPG."
These statements from the Turkish minister come ahead of a meeting of defense ministers and intelligence chiefs from Syria, Russia, Turkey, and Iran in Moscow.
