Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Ankara is closely following the developments in Syria and Iran, stressing Turkey's support for the Syrian authorities and its readiness to take steps to prevent further escalation of tensions around Iran, TRT Haber reported, quoted by BTA.
The statement was made after a meeting of the Turkish cabinet held today in Ankara under the chairmanship of Erdogan.
“We are closely following the developments in Syria and Iran“, said the Turkish head of state. He stressed the importance of Syria as a neighboring country, with which Turkey shares its longest land border - 911 kilometers.
“Syria is a country with which we have deep historical and social ties. Our desire is to see a stable neighbor next to us, in which people, regardless of their ethnic and religious affiliation, live in peace, and not a country doomed to permanent instability“, said Erdogan.
According to him, “a new page” is opening for the Syrian people, and those who rely on terrorism will not achieve their goals. The Turkish president expressed hope that the agreement reached on Friday between Kurdish fighters and the Syrian authorities to end the conflict will be implemented without delay.
“Turkey stands firmly against all those who benefit from the bloodshed in our region“, he stressed, against the backdrop of the deployment of Syrian government forces in the northeastern city of Hasakah, which has so far been under the control of Kurdish militias, which began today.
Erdogan added that the Turkish authorities are also discussing possible actions related to the security and reconstruction of Gaza, as well as measures to prevent the further deepening of the “Iran crisis“.
Earlier, the American publication “Axios“ reported that US envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are expected to meet on Friday in Istanbul to discuss the possibility of a new nuclear deal.