Last week in Türkiye, as in the rest of the world, the spotlight was on Syria.
The Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fled the country and sought refuge in Russia following the fall of Aleppo and Damascus with the offensive launched on November 27 by groups led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). The Syrian Arab Republic’s army surrendered without resisting the attack.
HTS’s entry into Damascus and Bashar al-Assad’s fall were welcomed positively by Ankara. Turkish officials issued a series of statements on the matter, while the Head of the National Intelligence Organization İbrahim Kalın and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan visited Aleppo and Damascus.
Meanwhile reactions from political parties in Türkiye varied widely.
Erdoğan celebrates Assad’s fall
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan commented on the situation in Syria during a speech on November 20, saying:
“From the very beginning, we have closely followed developments in Syria, our neighbor with a 910-kilometer border. While much of the world turned its back on the Syrian people, we never abandoned them to their fate. Did we host 5 million Syrian brothers and sisters in our country? Yes, we did. What did I say? ‘We are the Ansar, and they are the Muhajir’. While the CHP said, ‘We will send you back to Syria immediately when we come to power’, I declared ‘They are our guests, and we will fulfill our duty as Ansar’. Because we believe in the blessings of sharing, the strength of solidarity and upholding our bond of brotherhood.”
Erdoğan continued:
“Western countries, what did you do? Did you open your doors To Syrian people? No. But we did, because being Ansar means something unique in our culture. I must say with great satisfaction that, after 61 years of darkness, the dawn of freedom is breaking in Syria by Allah’s grace. Arabs, Turkmen, Kurds, Sunnis, Alawites, Christians, every segment of Syrian society is now looking toward the future with renewed confidence.”
Erdoğan then criticized the opposition in Türkiye:
“Except its ideological fixations, the opposition in Türkiye has no substantial foreign policy vision. Over the past two weeks, we have once again witnessed that they remain oblivious to the broader realities beyond their narrow worldview. Can you imagine that while the tyrant Assad was preparing to flee the country, the leader of the main opposition was calling for talks with the toppled regime. The leader of the opposition says that we should trust the amnesty calls made by Assad which Assad himself doesn’t believe. Let me draw your attention to this: The Baath regime was overthrown nearly two weeks ago. Yet, we’ve heard no coherent, logical or reasonable statement from the CHP. The CHP leadership still hasn’t recovered from the shock of losing their allies in Damascus overnight.”
Joint press conference from Foreign Minister Fidan and HTS leader Jolani
On December 22, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held a joint press conference in Damascus with HTS leader Jolani.
During his speech, Fidan emphasized “the end of Baath darkness”, “territorial integrity of the country” and “elimination of terrorism”, stating:
“Today, as Türkiye, we take rightful pride in being on the right side of history. I honor the memory of those who were martyred during the 61 years of the Baath regime. I bring the special greetings of our President. President Erdoğan will always stand by Syria. A free and prosperous Syria will be achieved thanks to your efforts. The state in Syria needs to rise again with all its functions. The new administration in Syria requires both opportunity and time. Syria has seized a historic opportunity. Restoring stability, eliminating the threat of terrorism within its borders and strengthening its economy are now achievable. The return of the Syrian people to their own country is also possible. In our meeting with Mr. Shara, we discussed these issues and emphasized the importance of completing the transitional period in an orderly manner.
Syria’s stability and security are our priorities. It is also essential to uphold the rule of law and ensure the protection of minorities. An inclusive administration that excludes no religious or ethnic group and is led and owned by Syrians must be established. We will provide support to improve institutional capacities during this process. As Türkiye, we are ready to share our experience in Syria’s efforts to rebuild the state institutions. we must start the reconstruction of Syria without delay.
We also discussed the issues of YPG and PKK. Currently, they unjustly occupy one-third of Syrian territory turning the region into a hub of terror. The international community turns a blind eye to that. We are confident that the new administration will take steps to ensure Syria’s territorial integrity. The YPG must cease to threaten this integrity. Our Kurdish brothers and sisters reaching the liberties in northern Syria is of great importance to us. We will never allow ISIS to exploit the situation in Syria. A Syria freed from the darkness of the Baath regime will, inshallah, also rid itself of PKK, YPG and ISIS”.
MHP’s leader Bahçeli’s statement on Israel and PKK
The leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and government coalition partner, Devlet Bahçeli, issued a written statement regarding the developments in Syria. Highlights from Bahçeli’s statement include:
“Since March 2011, Syria has been grappling with deep and uncontrollable turmoil. Starting from December 8, a completely new political reality has emerged in Syria.
The rotten Assad regime, with all its malice and has finally collapsed. The oppressive and totalitarian Assad regime’s dark era has ended and the primitive Baath ideology has been eradicated through force and a broad alliance. The Syrian people have broken the chains of oppression, embraced freedom and opened the door to a new era.
(…) With opposition groups taking over the administration, a cautious yet increasingly tangible atmosphere of renewal has arisen in Syria.
(…) Meanwhile, the expansionist policies of Zionist barbarism on Syrian territory is an unacceptable act of invasion. Israel’s advancement toward Damascus by surpassing the buffer zone in the Golan Heights, conducting airstrikes at various times as a show of force, and persistently and systematically claiming influence over Syrian lands is despicable opportunism.
Türkiye stands with the Syrian people. This legitimate and friendly stance will never change. Similarly, the separatist terrorist organization’s eagerness to exploit the opportunity is doomed to fail. A line of resistance must be drawn against Israel’s provocations and violations that test the boundaries of patience and tolerance.
Syria belongs to the Syrians. The return of our brothers and sisters currently in Türkiye under temporary protection has begun.
(…) The elimination of terrorist organizations in Syrian soil is the only option. At this stage, the survival of PKK/YPG in Syria is nothing more than an unrealistic dream.
(…) We appreciate the positive steps taken by Syria’s new administration in distinguishing between the PKK/YPG and our Kurdish brothers and sisters as well as in rejecting the presence of terrorist organizations.
(…) Syrian Kurds, Arabs, Turkmens, and other social groups representing diverse origins will live forever as an indivisible whole under the framework of their independent state.
Our fate with our Kurdish brothers and sisters is one and the same. Our fight against the PKK/YPG is uncompromising and will continue.”
CHP’s leader Özel: The winners in Syria are the US and Israel, not Erdoğan
The leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), Özgür Özel also made a statement regarding the developments in Syria. Özel stated:
“As the Republican People’s Party, we have opposed from the very beginning the way Türkiye relates to Syria, any actions that disrespected Syria’s territorial integrity, that stirred up the civil war by supporting, training, arming and sending non-state actors to fight. Our position has always been for Syria to have a government that would represent all of its people, not just Arabs, but also Alawites, Sunnis, Kurds, Turkmens and all ethnic and sectarian groups, through democratic elections, with a regime open to international oversight. Our relationship with Assad and the advice we gave to Syria have always been based on this.
But Erdoğan, from 2011 onward, adopted the approach of ‘First overthrow Assad, and then we’ll see about the rest’. Before that, Erdoğan was taking photos hand-in-hand with Assad, going on family holidays with him. He was flattering Assad.”
Özel continued:
“It’s as if Erdoğan learned at a point that Assad is a dictator and then stood against him. But Assad was always a dictator just like his father. The prisons full of dissidents that bleeds our hearts were always there. The suspicion of torture was always there. (…) However, at a certain point, as Israel, the US, Russia, and Iran started to engage in their proxy wars over Assad, Türkiye was assigned a role and Erdoğan took a new stance.
And now suddenly, as Erdoğan himself openly expressed, with the plans of the US and Israel, the persuasion of Russia, and the weakness of Iran, the groups that should have been disarmed according to the Astana process, marched towards Damascus. And just two days before, Erdoğan said the followings, I am reading from the official presidential website: ‘We had made a call to Assad, asking him to meet and determine Syria’s future together. Unfortunately, we did not receive a positive response from Assad. Now, there’s an ongoing march towards Damascus. This troubled process in the region is not going the way we had hoped. We don’t want it this way. Unfortunately, the region is in turmoil’. He said this on December 6, 2024, just 36 hours before Assad’s fall.
Özel stated that the winners in Syria the US and Israel, not Erdoğan:
“There’s a political illusion trying to present, ‘Erdoğan won in Syria’. No, Erdoğan didn’t win. In Syria, Israel won, the US won.
Özel emphasized that his party has four priorities regarding Syria:
“Our four priorities are as follows: First, the protection of Syria’s territorial integrity. Second, the formation of a regime that respects human rights and represents all Syrians, bringing stability to our neighboring country. Third, ensuring the safety of our soldiers in Syria and the peace and prosperity of our citizens in Türkiye. Finally, and most importantly, our fourth priority is the safe return of Syrians in Türkiye to their homes as soon as possible.”
Vatan Party’s leader Perinçek: In the short term, the US and Israel won in Syria
Another politician who shared his views on the developments in Syria was Doğu Perinçek, the leader of the Vatan Party. Perinçek assessed the situation in Syria with the following statements:
“In the short term, the US and Israel have won. HTS has won in Syria. The PKK/YPG is somewhat at the barrel’s end, so we can’t say they have won. Syria is fragmenting and a federation is emerging, so the PKK/YPG may have hopes of getting a part of Syria.
(…) In the short term, Russia, Iran, Türkiye and Palestine have lost in Syria. Once Türkiye had a Syria that was a potential ally as a neighbor, now it is now under the control of the US and Israel.”
Perinçek also criticized the Turkish government’s stance, saying:
“The Foreign Minister clearly sided with the US and Israel. The National Security Council met on Thursday, and they mentioned ‘legitimate opposition’. But in Foreign Minister Fidan’s statements, there is no mention of ‘legitimate opposition’, Fidan only referred to ‘the opposition’ which means HTS. This shows that the Turkish government’s position is different from Russia and Iran’s.”
Perinçek also criticized the footages during the Head of the National Intelligence Organization, İbrahim Kalın’s visit to Aleppo:
“The Turkish Republic is in a state of weakness, and this is displayed in full nakedness here. A high-ranking official of the Turkish state cannot get the leader of a terrorist organization -Türkiye recognizes HTS as a terrorist organization- in the driver’s seat of his car.”
Perinçek stated that it is impossible for Türkiye to keep HTS under its control:
“HTS was under Türkiye control when it was in Idlib, but it was also partly under the control of the US and Israel. In the offensive towards Damascus, the US and Israel were in the driver’s seat and Türkiye accompanied them. There was no attempt to stop or prevent them. We can see this fact in the statements of the Foreign Minister.”