Ankara- Shortly following the statement of Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, who said Wednesday that Turkey is ready to normalize relations with Syria the way it did with Israel and Russia, and that it would improve its ties with Iraq to fight terrorists, the media rushed to broadcast his interview with the BBC channel in which he asserted that no changes will be made in the Turkish position regarding the Syrian file unless Assad is out of power.
Yildirim said that the main reason behind the Syrian crisis was Assad.
The Turkish Prime Minster said Assad was behind the killing of more than 500,000 Syrians and the displacement of more than 9 million others, including 3 million currently present on Turkish territories. He said Bashar Assad’s rule should change along with the presence of the terrorist ISIS organization.
“Things need to change in Syria, but first of all, Assad should change. Unless Assad changes, nothing changes in Turkey,” Yildirim said. “Assad has the main responsibility for things turning this way.”
Yildirim said: “Well, on one hand you have Assad and on the other you have ISIS. So which one do you prefer? Assad or ISIS? If you’re asking me which one, we won’t prefer any. Both have to go because it’s trouble for the Syrians.”
Yildirim also warned Western states no terrorist organization can be defeated with the help of another terrorist group.
Meanwhile, diplomatic sources said the Syrian opposition had received reassurances in this regard and guarantees from the Turkish government that Ankara would not abandon the Syrian opposition or stop supporting it. The sources said Turkey believes it was necessary for Assad to leave, but that such a matter would not be achieved in the absence of an international agreement involving major powers, mainly the U.S. and Russia.
Source: Asharq Al-Awsat, 15 July 2016
