Erdoğan praises Syrian leader’s ‘strong commitment’ to fighting terrorism

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday hailed Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa for his “strong commitment” to fighting terrorism as the newly installed interim president made his first visit to Turkey, Agence France-Presse reported.

Al-Sharaa flew to Ankara from Saudi Arabia, where he had sought Riyadh’s support to fund Syria’s reconstruction and revive its economy after 13 years of civil war.

“I would like to express our satisfaction with the strong commitment my brother Ahmed al-Sharaa has shown in the fight against terrorism,” Erdoğan said after the pair held talks.

Ankara has had a years-long connection with al-Sharaa and was a key backer of the push by his Islamist-led rebels that ended up toppling Bashar al-Assad on December 8.

Since then, Turkey has extended its full support to his new administration, offering operational and military help in fighting “terrorist groups” still active in Syria.

It has repeatedly called for action to root out both Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants as well as the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The SDF is seen by many in the West as crucial to keeping ISIL at bay, but Turkey views it as a terrorist outfit and has threatened military action against it if it does not disband.

“I told [al-Sharaa] we are ready to provide the necessary support to Syria in the fight against all kinds of terrorism, whether it be Daesh or the PKK,” Erdoğan said, using the Arabic acronym for ISIL.

He also reiterated Turkey’s offer to help run prisons holding ISIL fighters in northeastern Syria, which are currently run by the SDF.

‘Join forces’

Ankara accuses the SDF of having ties to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has waged a decades-long insurgency on Turkish soil.

“For the safety of our countries and our region, we have no other option than to join forces towards the same goal,” Erdoğan said.

Al-Sharaa said Turkey and Syria were “working together on … a joint strategy to confront security threats in the region” to ensure the safety of both countries.

He also said they had discussed “threats that prevent territorial unity in northeastern Syria” in a clear reference to the SDF, which runs a semi-autonomous Kurdish-led administration that controls swaths of the northeast.

Damascus’s new rulers have rejected any form of Kurdish self-rule and urged the SDF to hand over their weapons.

Inviting Erdoğan to visit Syria “at the earliest opportunity,” al-Sharaa hailed Turkey for its willingness to take in millions of Syrians who fled during the civil war, saying his country would “never forget [Turkey’s] historic stance.”

“That significant support is still tangible through Turkey’s ongoing efforts to ensure the success of the current leadership in Syria politically and economically,” he said.

Last month Syria’s top diplomat, Asaad al-Shaibani, pledged that Damascus would never allow its territory to be used as a staging ground for threats against Turkey, saying the new leadership would “work on removing these threats.”