Türkiye’s National Security Council expresses “strong support” for Syria’s “territorial integrity”

“Terrorist organizations” that try to take advantage of the instability in the country “will not have carte blanche”

Dec. 5 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The National Security Council of Turkey has expressed this Thursday its “strong support for the territorial integrity and unity of Syria” in the face of the large-scale offensive unleashed by the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) and its allies in the north of country.

“The events in Syria have demonstrated once again that precautions must be taken to avoid damage to the lives and property of civilians and that the regime must reach an agreement with its people and the opposition,” he said.

Ankara has stressed that it is willing to provide “any necessary contribution” to restore order in Syria, which in recent hours has seen how the rebels have managed to break into the city of Hama, in the center of the country.

Likewise, the Council has highlighted that “terrorist organizations that try to take advantage of the instability” in the country “will not have carte blanche” and “all threats will be eliminated”, according to the Anatolia news agency.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who chaired the Council meeting, spoke this Thursday with the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, to whom he conveyed that his greatest wish is that Syria “does not experience more instability.”

Erdogan has assured that “the Syrian conflict has reached a new phase”, which is why he reiterated in his call with Guterres that the Government of President Bashar al Assad “must urgently dialogue with its own people to achieve a political solution.”

Finally, the Turkish president has conveyed to the Secretary General that Turkey will continue its efforts “to reduce tensions, protect civilians and pave the way towards a political process” in Syria, as reported by the Presidency’s Communication Department.

Hama has become the main epicenter of fighting in recent days after rebels and jihadists made stunning advances after launching their offensive on November 27 and managed to quickly take the city of Aleppo as government forces collapsed.

Fighting over the past week has so far left more than 700 dead, including about 110 civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has said the dead include more than 300 members of HTS and 59 members of allied rebel groups. who have died in the fighting, to which more than 200 members of government forces and allied militias are added.