Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that plans to divide Syria into three parts had been thwarted. He expressed satisfaction with the new Syrian administration, which has demonstrated a moderate approach supporting all religious and ethnic groups, and noted its efforts to protect the unity of Syria, BTA reports.
The statement was made at a regional congress of the ruling Justice and Development Party in Adana.
Role of Kurdish forces in northern Syria
Erdogan did not provide details about the “partition plan“, but Turkish officials link Syrian Kurdish militias to the terrorist organization PKK, which is recognized as such by Turkey, the EU and the US. He stressed that Turkey is determined to eliminate these groups as soon as possible if they do not give up their weapons.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are demanding autonomy, but their leader, Mazloum Abdi, said they are ready to join the Syrian army, while maintaining their structure as a military bloc.
Policy towards Syrian refugees
Erdogan reaffirmed Turkey's intentions to facilitate the return of Syrian refugees. According to the president, this will be done with support, but without pressure on the displaced. Turkey is currently home to about 2.9 million Syrian refugees, and the goal is for about 1 million of them to be safely returned to Syria.
Damascus' position
The Syrian defense minister said he was against keeping the Kurdish military forces as an independent bloc within the army. Negotiations between the SDF and the Damascus administration have continued since the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
Turkey's commitment to the territorial integrity of Syria is accompanied by firm intentions to deal with Syrian Kurdish fighters. In parallel, Turkey aims to provide support for the safe return of Syrian refugees, while continuing to actively monitor the situation in northern Syria.