Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu
Turkey supports an anticipated UN plan to form a commission on Syria to rewrite the war-torn country's constitution, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Tuesday.
"We have opened a final window of opportunity for a political solution in Syria," Çavuşoğlu told Turkey’s parliament in a speech laying out Ankara’s foreign policy priorities.
Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on protesters with unexpected ferocity.
Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million others have been displaced, according to UN officials.
Reiterating Turkey’s resolve to fight terrorist organizations, including the PKK and YPG, Çavuşoğlu underlined that Ankara had never taken Kurds as an enemy.
In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women and children. The YPG is its Syrian branch.
Turkey’s defense minister said Tuesday that northern Iraq’s Sinjar region will not be allowed to become a new stronghold for the PKK terror group."We expect the Iraqi government to cooperate with us in ending the separatist PKK terror group’s presence in Iraqi territories," said Hulusi Akar during his budget speech in parliament.Akar noted that Turkey respects the territorial integrity of Syria, Iraq and its neighbors."However, for the security of the country and the nation, our operations will continue until the PKK terror group has been completely defeated in the locations they exist in Iraq," he said.Turkey may start new Syria operation at any moment, Erdoğan saysSinjar “will never be allowed to become a new [Mt.] Qandil".The terrorist PKK has its main base in the Mt. Qandil region, which is located near the Turkish border.On Thursday, the Turkish Armed Forces dealt a heavy blow to the PKK terror group in the Sinjar and Mt. Karajak regions.In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women and children.US colonel calls Turkish soldiers ‘terrorists,’ spreads PKK/PYD propagandaAkar also recalled the U.S.'s promise to remove the YPG/PKK terror group from Syria's Manbij region.“However, we have determined that the terror group has dug trenches in Manbij,” he said."When the time comes, the terrorists in this region will be buried in the trenches they have dug," he stressed.Akar also provided data on the number of Turkish armed forces personnel dismissed since the 2016 defeated coup attempt.Pentagon hands over Syria observation posts to PKK/PYD ahead of Turkish op"Since July 15, [2016] due to FETO, a total of 15,154 personnel, including 150 generals and admirals and 7,595 officers, have been dismissed from the Turkish Armed Forces," he noted, referring to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization.FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.
Sinjar won’t be new PKK stronghold: Turkish DefMin
Further Cyprus talks to depend on parameters
Stating that the Greek Cypriot side did not cooperate with Turkey’s efforts to reach an agreement on the eastern Mediterranean island, Cavusoglu stressed that Ankara would henceforth enter negotiations only after the "parameters and framework" of talks were determined.
He emphasized that Turkey’s continued presence in Cyprus as a guarantor was a prerequisite for a potential deal.
Cyprus has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including the latest initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Turkey, Greece and Britain collapsing last year.
The UN has sought a peace deal to unite Cyprus under a federal umbrella that could also define the future of Europe's relations with Turkey, a key player in the conflict.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when a Greek Cypriot coup was followed by violence against the island's Turks and Ankara's intervention as a guarantor power.
Noting that Turkey’s position remains clear on hydrocarbon drilling around Cyprus, Çavuşoğlu said the Turkish Armed Forces would continue to take all necessary measures in the eastern Mediterranean.
In early 2018, the Greek Cypriot administration unilaterally launched exploratory drilling activities for gas in the Eastern Mediterranean despite strong opposition from Turkish Cypriots, who argue that the island's natural resources should be exploited jointly to ensure equal rights for both parties.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday said he told U.S. President Donald Trump that if Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorists are not withdrawn from the east of the Euphrates that Turkey would “remove them.” He said the army has completed preparations for the planned operation, adding that Turkey will do 'what is necessary' regarding terror corridors east of the Euphrates River.
Turkey may start new Syria operation at any moment, Erdoğan says