Minister Fidan's statement: 'Whoever is in Syria, Turkey is their protector too': 'Tasking the PKK with this is a crisis'

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with Bernard Quintin, the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs, Foreign Trade and Federal Cultural Institutions. Speaking at the press conference held after the meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister Fidan said, "We are considering taking more steps with Belgium in defense industry relations and further increasing the traffic of relations between Belgian firms and Turkish firms.

On the other hand, the Turkish community in Belgium is truly well-integrated into Belgian society. It is a community that acts as a bridge between the two countries. The situation of our citizens and kinsmen there is also truly good. On the other hand, we also discussed the issue of counter-terrorism with them.

We conveyed our views to them, particularly regarding the prevention of the PKK, DHKP/C, and FETÖ from finding ground for themselves in Belgium, exploiting the local law and political system there to expand an area of abuse, and using this expanded area against Turkey. We also discussed the European Union issue with them. We put on the table Belgium's support for Turkey's European Union membership, the issue of the customs union, the steps that need to be taken in this regard, some of the problems the European Union is currently facing, and the historical problems of the membership relationship with Turkey.

Regarding regional issues, we of course want a ceasefire and peace in Ukraine immediately. We brought up our thoughts regarding the immediate cessation of a war that has cost hundreds of thousands of lives in the middle of Europe in the 21st century and devastated a huge country, and the immediate end of the migration, economic crises, and other crises caused by this war across Europe and the world," he said.

Stating that they welcome the end of the 50-year Assad regime regarding Syria, Minister Fidan said, "We hope that the Syrian people will build their own future with great speed as soon as possible. For this, they need the qualified support of the international community.

Turkey is doing its best to mobilize both its own resources and the resources of the international community. In this framework, we also exchanged views with my dear friend. We were in agreement, especially on the immediate provision of the economic, financial, and commercial tools necessary for the country's reconstruction while the new government of Syria ensures its internal integrity and territorial political sovereignty at this stage. We expressed once again that we are ready to do everything in our power in this regard," he said.

"TASKING THE PKK WITH THIS IS A CRISIS"

Stating that Turkey has put forward a clear position regarding the release of DAESH detainees in camps and prisons, Minister Fidan said, "Especially the DAESH detainees held in camps and prisons, they must be taken back by the countries they belong to. Keeping them here for an indefinite period, not subjecting them to any judicial procedure, and having no plan regarding what their future will be has turned into a source of crisis in the region.

Especially tasking another terrorist organization, the PKK, with this job to keep DAESH detainees there is truly a crisis for the international system.

As Turkey, our proposals are ready to both resolve this international system in the best way, eliminate the security problem that is Turkey's concern, and ensure Syria's territorial integrity. If the Syrian government does not take over the security of the camps and prisons immediately, Turkey is ready to provide support in this regard," he said.

"TURKEY IS THE PROTECTOR OF WHOEVER IS IN SYRIA"

Touching upon the changes in Syria, Minister Fidan said, "In this new period, if there is any majority or minority in Syria that feels troubled or anxious, whoever they may be; whether they are Nusayris, Alawites, Yazidis, or Christians, whoever they may be, Turkey is the patron and protector of them, just as it is of others. We are making every effort to ensure that no harm comes to them in Syria. The new administration of Syria is also extremely sensitive about this issue. Hopefully, nothing will happen, but in the event that it does, our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is extremely sensitive about this, and his principles are clear. Whoever is oppressed, we stand by the oppressed. We engage in the necessary solidarity with them. Therefore, we do not look at who it is, but at what is being done," he said.

"TURKEY IS OUR 4TH LARGEST TRADING PARTNER"

In the press conference, Quintin underlined that they host a very large Turkish population in Belgium and said, "Turks make significant contributions to our civil society. Turkey is currently our 4th largest trading partner. We talked about the trade relations between the European Union and Turkey in general. I would also like to state that you can trust Belgium regarding the customs agreement. You can also trust us regarding EU membership, but we know that this issue is difficult. Still, our stance has been clear from the very beginning. Ukraine is an existential threat to us. Ukraine is very close to Belgium. We do not know what will happen there in 2025. In Syria, we see that the worst is behind us. We want to support the new government. As their neighbors, you know them better. You know their financial systems better. We can also help with the lifting of some sanctions. However, we will help them by also seeing the steps they take. We are approaching this with good intentions," he said.

News Source: 12punto