Turkey expects Iran to play a constructive role in normalizing the Syrian issue

Hicabi Krlang, Turkey's ambassador to Iran, has highlighted the role of his country's eastern neighbor as Ankara seeks to restore ties with Syria's Assad regime. The ambassador, appointed last year, said Tehran was in contact with him on the issue.

Earlier this year, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would soon invite Assad to meet for the first time since Ankara and Damascus severed ties in 2011 as mass anti-government protests and a brutal crackdown by security forces in Syria spiraled into an ongoing civil war.

Iran is one of the Assad regime's few allies, along with Russia, which has also stepped in to mediate normalization efforts between Ankara and Damascus.

Krlang told Iran's Tasnim news agency that Turkey and Syria are culturally close neighbors, although their relations have deteriorated due to Syria's past stance on terrorism. He was referring to the PKK terrorist group's activities in Syria long before the civil war began. Krlang said Iran and Turkey have different views on Syria, adding that it is undeniable that Syria has a human rights problem. There is a clear gap between the Syrian regime and its people, which is demonstrated by the large number of Syrians fleeing their country to Turkey, he said. Krlang said Turkey has handled this influx well and has also done its best to engage in dialogue with Syria. However, the influence of major powers, especially emerging regional powers, is at play here. Turkey and Syria must act with caution, he said, without naming the said powers.

The ambassador said Turkey seeks to take constructive steps while assessing the Assad regime's reservations about normalizing relations.

Assad said earlier that he would meet Erdoan if it served Syria's interests, but he believes that supporting “terrorism” and withdrawing from Syrian territory are the essence of the problem. The regime wants Turkish troops to support the opposition to Assad and fight the PKK/YPG terrorists out of northern Syria. Syria may feel justified from its own point of view, but Trkiye, with its experience since the US occupation of northern Iraq, understands the problem of terrorism well and is taking appropriate measures, Krlang said. Since 2016, Trkiye has carried out successive ground operations to expel the YPG terrorist group from northern Syria, to prevent the formation of a terrorist corridor and to sever its ties with the PKK stronghold in the Qandil region of northern Iraq. The counterterrorism operations have also driven Daesh out of the region. Yet the YPG still holds swathes of territory in northeastern Syria and recently sought to legitimize its presence by announcing elections in the region. The so-called elections have been canceled for now, but the group remains a force to be reckoned with, thanks to military support from the United States, which sees it as a partner in the fight against terrorism.

Krlang said Turkey has no ambitions on the territory of other countries and respects Syria's sovereignty, adding that its work in Syria is aimed at ensuring the country's security. Turkey is among the countries that attach the most importance to Syria's territorial integrity. The fragmentation of Syria would aggravate the crisis in the region and preserving Syria's territorial integrity remains a priority for us, with our position on this issue being very clear, he said.

The ambassador said they recognized the constructive role Iran could play in normalizing relations with Syria.

“If our military presence were to be removed, it would pave the way for more chaos. We are well aware of this and that is why our approach is simple. We want to establish relations with Syria and we believe that Iran's role in facilitating the ongoing negotiations with that country is crucial,” he said. Iran should play a constructive role in this area because it has the power to do so, especially to counter imperialist designs in the region, he added.

Krlang said Ankara is making efforts and engaging in dialogue with Iran on this issue. The region can no longer tolerate (the lack of normalization). We are ready and hope to take important steps in the near future. Iran and Turkey play an important role in the region. Iran's relations with Syria could encourage (the Assad regime) to make peace with Turkey, he said.

He stressed that the divergence between Syria and the YPG's “electoral” plans was not in the interest of either the Assad regime or Turkey. He said that Syria could achieve autonomy, but its military weakness complicated the situation. This is one of the reasons why we want to restore relations, he said.

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