Last week, the main agenda in Türkiye was the developments in Syria. Politicians, security officials and journalists are discussing moment by moment the developments and Türkiye’s position.
Also, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. During the meeting, the wars in Ukraine and Palestine were discussed.
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources reacted to the sanctions imposed by the US on Gazprombank.
Echoes of developments in Syria
The HTS terrorist organization launched an attack on Aleppo, followed by Hamas and Homs in Syria.
President Erdoğan highlighted Türkiye’s commitment to Syria’s territorial integrity, stating that Ankara is closely monitoring the situation and taking necessary precautions. He remarked:
“The recent developments reaffirm our stance and priorities in the Syrian conflict. We hope for a resolution that protects Syria’s territorial integrity and fulfills its people’s legitimate demands.”
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan rejected attributing the conflict solely to external interventions, calling it a narrow perspective. He credited the Astana Process for mitigating large-scale clashes and criticized the neglect of the opposition’s demands: “Recent events underscore the need for Damascus to reconcile with its people and the legitimate opposition. Türkiye stands ready to support such efforts.”
Fidan added that Türkiye is in coordination with Iran in the Astana Process.
The coalition partner Nationalist Movement Party’s (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli, addressing the recent developments in Syria in his party’s parliamentary group meeting. He mentioned the “atrocities committed by the Syrian regime backed by Iran and Russia in 2016 in Aleppo”. Bahçeli then said that “we need to consider the timing of the crisis in Aleppo following the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire” and stressed Türkiye’s right to confront actors disrupting regional stability. Bahçeli also pointed to violations of Moscow agreement in 2020 and Sochi agreement in 2019, underlining the unresolved issue of PKK/YPG/PYD withdrawal from Manbij and Tel Rifaat.
The opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) evaluated teh developments in Syria with a presentation at their Central Executive Board meeting. The presentation stressed ensuring the safety of Turkish Armed Forces personnel in the Idlib region and avoiding any direct confrontations with various terrorist groups. The possibility of a new wave of migration was another topic of the meeting.
Doğu Perinçek, leader of the Vatan Party, also commented on the developments in Syria. Perinçek said: “This war, at the forefront, is an Israel-Syria war. HTS is Israel’s and US’s pawn. It is not HTS entering Aleppo, it is Israel. No one should celebrate this. The US and Israel will lose this war.”
Perinçek described the forces in the conflict as follows: “On the attacking side are the US, Israel, their pawn HTS and PKK/PYD. US’s allies in the Eastern Mediterranean, Greece, and Southern Cyprus are also part of this side. The resistance front against them consists of Syria, Russia, Iran, Palestine, Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq.”
“Türkiye must choose a side” Perinçek stated: “Our President Erdoğan, will either side with Israel and HTS or with the resistance front. Türkiye is directly threatened by the US and Israel. Across our shores, there are US bases with weapons aimed at Türkiye. In Alexandroupolis, Kavala, Thessaloniki, Larissa, Stefanovikio, north of Crete and southern Cyprus there are tanks and missiles aimed at Türkiye. On our southern border, we face PKK/PYD terrorist organization under US control.” Perinçek added that “Türkiye’s unity, sovereignty, independence, prosperity and the future of the Turkish nation demand taking a side in this war”.
NATO Secretary General visits Türkiye
In parallel with developments on the Russia-Ukraine front and just before the military mobilization in Syria, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte visited Türkiye. Rutte met with Erdoğan. The Directorate of Communications shared the following information about the meeting:
“The potential ways to end the Ukraine-Russia War and the massacre in Palestine, joint steps required to be taken in the fight against terrorism, Türkiye’s hosting of the NATO Summit in 2026, and NATO allies’ solidarity with Türkiye in supplying defense industry materials, as well as Türkiye’s contributions to NATO as an ally, were assessed during the meeting.
President Erdoğan, for his part, thanked NATO Secretary General Rutte for his messages of solidarity toward Türkiye after the terrorist attack on TAI.”
No further details about the meeting were shared with the press.
Ankara opposes the sanctions on Gazprombank
Türkiye has reacted to the sanctions imposed by the US on Gazprom Bank as part of its economic measures against Russia. Alparslan Bayraktar, the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, expressed Türkiye’s opposition to any decision that could affect gas flows from Russia, saying that this will harm Türkiye’s economy.
Bayraktar stated: “We are the fourth largest gas market in Europe. The gas trade needs to continue without any disruption. We need gas and we get a significant amount of it from Russia. There is no chance of replacing this in the near and medium term. Therefore, we must be able to obtain this gas.”
Bayraktar also commented on the expiration of the transit agreement allowing Russian natural gas to flow to Europe through Ukraine at the end of 2024: “It is possible that the agreement could be extended. That would be beneficial for Europe as well, but how will they pay Gazprombank for this gas? That remains a question mark. An extension of the agreement would be good for prices and the market. At this point, Türkiye is ready to do its part, but.”