Erdogan hails Syria leader’s ‘strong commitment’ to fighting terror

ANKARA: Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday hailed the president of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, for his “strong commitment” to fighting terror as the newly installed interim president made his first visit to Turkey.

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.

Read more: Syrian President Sharaa meets Saudi Crown Prince on first foreign trip

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

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

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

It has repeatedly called for action to root out both ISIS group militants as well as the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

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

“I told (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,” Erdogan said, using the Arabic acronym for IS.

He also reiterated Turkey’s offer to help run prisons holding IS 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,” he said.

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 swathes of the northeast.

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

Inviting Erdogan to visit Syria “at the earliest opportunity”, Sharaa hailed Turkey for its willingness to take in millions of Syrians who fled during the civil war, saying his nation 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.

Read more: Car bomb kills 15 in Northern Syria

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”.