Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has praised Syrian government forces for what he called a cautious offensive in northern Syria, saying Damascus had acted with restraint despite provocations as it moved to push Kurdish-led forces out of contested areas.
In remarks published Monday by the pro-government media, Erdoğan told lawmakers from his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) that Turkey should avoid steps that could damage “brotherhood” among Arabs, Turks and Kurds and should not fall for provocations linked to the fighting in Syria.
The comments came after days of clashes around Aleppo between Syrian government forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-led force backed by the United States that has controlled large parts of northeast Syria for years. Turkey views the SDF as tied to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has fought a decades-long insurgency inside Turkey and is designated as a terrorist organization by Ankara and its Western allies.
Erdoğan’s allies have framed the Syrian government’s advances as part of a wider push to restore central authority in Syria after years of war and to weaken militant groups Turkey considers a threat along its southern border.
Turkey is the strongest foreign backer of Syria’s current government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former rebel leader who took power after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in 2024.
Syrian government forces last week moved into parts of Aleppo that had been held by Kurdish forces, after fighting that displaced large numbers of civilians.
On Sunday the SDF reached an agreement with the Syrian government to bring Kurdish civilian and military authorities under Damascus’ control. By Monday Syrian government forces had taken over areas the SDF had held.
Turkish officials have long argued that the SDF’s continued control of territory across the border has been a major obstacle to Ankara’s efforts to advance a peace track with the PKK.
Turkey welcomed the deal as a “historic turning point,” saying stability in Syria was vital to Turkey’s goal of eliminating terrorism at home.
Erdoğan’s government has repeatedly threatened its own military action in northern Syria if Kurdish-led forces refused to fold into the Syrian state.
With reporting by Agence France-Presse