Turkish Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalın
Turkey’s presidential aide on Saturday condemned a possible military offensive in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province, saying “It will bring nothing but death and destruction”.
In a column titled “The Idlib quagmire is yet another test for the international system,” for Daily Sabah newspaper, Ibrahim Kalın wrote that a possible attack “will undermine all political efforts under both the Geneva and Astana processes.”
The Turkish presidential aide wrote that the Syrian war continues to create “chaos, human drama, and political turmoil” in its seventh year.”
Turkey will not watch the killing of tens of thousands of innocent people in Syria to further the regime’s interests, Turkey’s president said Friday.In a Twitter message in Turkish, English, Russian and Arabic, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Turkey would neither watch from the sidelines nor participate in such a game "if the world turns a blind eye to the killing of tens of thousands of innocent people [in Syria]”.Erdogan's remarks came after his meeting Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in the Iranian capital Tehran to discuss joint efforts as part of the Astana peace process and political efforts for finding a lasting solution to the Syrian conflict.Erdogan said Turkey has been trying to stop the bloodshed in Syria since the crisis broke out."Without discrimination, we rushed to the help of our Syrian brothers and sisters. Today, as in the past, we do not [want] any of our Syrian brothers or sisters to suffer – even from a nosebleed," he said.Erdogan said the importance Turkey attaches to Friday’s trilateral summit "reflects Turkey’s care for the future of our Syrian brothers and sisters".Turkey clearly stated during the Tehran meeting that resorting to methods that disregard civilian lives "would only play into the hands of terrorists," Erdogan said.Erdogan said the Idlib issue must be resolved in line with the Astana process and without giving rise to pain, new tensions or more suffering."Upholding the principles on which we agreed in Astana is key to finding a sustainable political solution to the Syrian crisis as well."Warning against any faits accomplis under the pretext of fighting terrorism, Erdogan said resisting separatist efforts that seek to undermine Syria’s territorial integrity and the national security of neighboring countries was crucial.He emphasized that Turkey hosts more than 3.5 million Syrians and vowed that Turkey would continue to strive for the voluntary and safe repatriation of refugees and a lasting solution which will create a common ground for all parties to the Syrian dispute.
‘Turkey will not watch killing in Syria from sidelines’
“Without a robust and sustainable political solution, the ongoing political and military fighting will only exacerbate the current crises.
“Recent developments in and around Idlib are likely to make things worse, not better,” Kalın added.
Kalın’s article came a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan discussed with his Russian and Iranian counterparts in Tehran the joint efforts as part of the Astana peace process and political efforts for finding a lasting solution to the Syrian conflict.
Speaking at the joint news conference with Putin and Rouhani, Erdoğan called for an end to deaths in Syria.
The U.K’s. ambassador to the UN warned Friday if civilians are harmed by a military offensive in Idlib, officers and units of Bashar al-Assad's regime would be held accountable.“We should be crystal clear about this: there are more babies in Idlib than there are terrorists, and I think that should give those engaging in military action pause for thought,” Karen Pierce told the UN Security Council.The Assad regime recently announced plans to launch a major military offensive in the northwestern province of Idlib, which is controlled by various armed opposition groups.Russian warplanes on Tuesday pounded civilian and opposition targets in Idlib.UN echoes Erdoğan, fears potential catastrophe in IdlibPierce named several commanders and units of Assad's forces that were said to be stationed around Idlib.Among them were Gen. Ali Abdullah Ayyoub, the 4th Armored division led by Maher al-Assad, the Republican Guard led by Talal Makhlouf and the Tiger Forces led by Suheil al-Hassan.Located near the Turkish border, Idlib is home to more than 3 million Syrians, many of whom fled from other cities following attacks by the regime forces.On Tuesday, UN humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock warned that such an offensive would lead to the "worst humanitarian catastrophe in the 21st century".Erdoğan says it is important to end bombardments in Syria's Idlib, ensure cease-fireTurkish aid officials fear mass migration from IdlibAssad regime, Russia shell Syria’s IdlibSyria's Idlib residents concerned about new attacks
UK envoy says 'more babies’ than 'terrorists' in Idlib
Migration
According to Kalın, the Syrian war is “certainly not fought to help the Syrian people”.
“A solution based on reason, virtue and compassion would have been possible a long time ago if the stakeholders had a different approach,” he said.
“The two processes of Geneva and Astana have produced some results but neither has been able to stop the ongoing carnage.
“The Americans have used Daesh as a pretext to justify their presence in northeast Syria. With the Daesh threat largely eliminated, they are looking for ways to legitimate their engagement with the PKK in Syria in grave violation of the strategic partnership and relationship between Turkey and the U.S.
UN Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura on Friday echoed remarks by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, saying the world needs to avoid a "potential catastrophe" in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province.Speaking via video conference at a meeting of the UN Security Council, De Mistura emphasized the need for civilian voices in Idlib to be heard by the international community.The Bashar al-Assad regime recently announced plans to launch a major military offensive in Idlib, which is controlled by various armed opposition groups.During his remarks to the council, the UN envoy held up a photo of a woman civilian in Idlib and noted that 98.8 percent of the population in the area are civilians.De Mistura also received a letter from 1,000 women currently in Idlib, who urged the international community to remember that they are civilians, not terrorists."They are teachers, doctors, nurses, engineers, writers and homemakers, and many of them came from many parts of Syria. So Idlib in many ways symbolizes a mosaic of Syria," de Mistura said.He went further to say that while there are different armed groups in Idlib, there needs to be a different approach in order to separate them from the rest of the population.On Friday, the leaders of Iran, Russia and Turkey met in Tehran to discuss the situation and planned offensive in Idlib by the Assad regime. De Mistura noted that Erdoğan had put a substantive number of ideas on the table, and he is looking forward to hearing more.De Mistura will meet with representatives of the three countries in Geneva next week."We want a country without war, and we want a future in which we can be alive. They too are against terrorists, but they cannot show that because the situation is very difficult," he said on behalf of the population of Idlib.Located near the Turkish border, Idlib is home to more than 3 million Syrians, many of whom fled from other cities following attacks by the regime forces.Regime trains YPG/PKK, leftist terrorists in NW SyriaTehran summit joint statement calls for political solution in SyriaErdoğan says it is important to end bombardments in Syria's Idlib, ensure cease-fireTurkish aid officials fear mass migration from IdlibAssad regime, Russia shell Syria’s Idlib
UN echoes Erdoğan, fears potential catastrophe in Idlib
“Turkey's calls on the U.S. to stop this shady relationship have fallen on deaf ears. The regime and its backers, i.e., Iran and Russia, have also used the Daesh monster to justify their policies of drawing a new map in the Levant. They all have destroyed or weakened the moderate Syrian opposition groups both militarily and politically,” he added.
Kalın reiterated that any attack on Idlib where around 3.5 million people live, “will lead to a major humanitarian catastrophe.”
“It will trigger another wave of migration into Turkey and from there to Europe and elsewhere,” he added.
Political solution
“It will be an immoral victory for the Assad regime. It will once again show that the only way to get what you want in Syria is to use indiscriminate and brutal force. This cannot be the way to resolve the Syrian conflict,” the presidential aide said.
The Assad regime recently announced plans to launch a major military offensive in the northwestern province of Idlib, which is controlled by various armed opposition groups.
Kalın reminded that Idlib is a de-escalation zone under the Astana agreement and Turkey, Russia and Iran established military posts in the province as the guarantor countries.
“Turkey has 12 of them,” Kalın said: “The presence of Turkish soldiers there is probably the only guarantee to prevent any major assault because the Russian jet fighters and the regime ground forces cannot afford attacks while Turkish soldiers are there; we know that they do not care about civilians and legitimate, moderate opposition forces. Any attack on Idlib in the name of eliminating terrorist groups would undermine the Astana process,” he added.
Kalın said Turkey has done its utmost and will continue its tireless efforts to prevent another humanitarian catastrophe in Syria.
“International support must go beyond statements of concern or ‘anger,’ as U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted. It must be translated into concrete action for both a political solution and a plan for the refugees.
“Idlib is a ticking bomb. We can turn it off and start a new process in Syria if the international community gets serious about the Syrian war and shows that they do care about the Syrian people,” he added.