Hakan Fidan: The Damascus administration will take the necessary actions, and Turkey will not need to intervene.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan made evaluations regarding developments in the Middle East to the Qatar-based Al Jazeera television.

In response to claims by the elected President of the United States, Donald Trump, regarding Turkey's role in the change of power in Syria, he stated, "This cannot be defined as a takeover. To describe the events in Syria in this way would be a serious mistake. For the Syrian people, this is not a takeover. What is happening is the management of the will of the Syrian people taking control there."

Fidan, in response to the question, "Wouldn't it be correct to say that the power to govern Syria lies with Turkey?" said, "We would never want such a thing. I believe that we have all learned great lessons from what is happening in our region." He pointed out that the culture of domination has devastated the region.

Stating that "there should be neither Turkish domination, nor Persian domination, nor Arab domination," Fidan emphasized that we should prioritize cooperation together and that support should be given to the Syrian people, which should not be seen as domination.

"YPG IS AN EXTENSION OF PKK"

Fidan stated that the PKK terrorist organization's extension in Syria, YPG, poses a significant threat to Turkey, expressing that YPG is trying to maintain its presence and dominance in the areas it occupies. He emphasized that YPG is trying to present itself to the West as a group fighting against ISIS, and he noted:

"This is not a definition that accurately reflects their true identity. Because they are essentially there as a terrorist organization. Fighting against ISIS cannot solely be a sign of goodwill. Because there were different states and different groups there, each of which fought against ISIS for different reasons. YPG is essentially an extension of PKK. (YPG/PKK) is an organization that has filled its ranks with international foreign terrorist fighters from Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and European countries. Unfortunately, our Western friends ignore the fact that YPG is essentially an extension of PKK."

Minister Fidan responded to the question, "Did US Defense Secretary Ash Carter admit in Congress in 2016 that there is a connection between YPG and PKK? Did he explain that YPG and PKK are the same thing? The US sees PKK as a terrorist organization. In this case, are you calling on the US to cut its support for the SDF, which is mainly composed of YPG?" by stating that Turkey has long been calling on the US in this direction.

THE ISSUE OF THE DAMASCUS ADMINISTRATION

Regarding the reactions to these calls, Fidan said, "Everything actually started during (former President) Obama's era. At that time, their explanation to us was that this was a temporary arrangement."

In response to a question about claims that Turkey would conduct a military operation in Syria, Fidan recalled that a new administration period has begun in Damascus, stating that this issue primarily belongs to the new administration and that if it is resolved, there will be no need for Turkey's intervention. Fidan emphasized that the new administration must take full control in Syria.

"NOBODY LISTENED TO TRUMP"

In response to the question, "Do you think the US is supporting a terrorist group by supporting YPG?" Fidan answered, "Yes," emphasizing that this has been repeatedly and openly reminded to US officials.

Minister Fidan also responded to the question, "If this policy does not change, will it put you on a collision course with the United States, especially with the newly elected administration?" by saying:

"This is exactly what we have been trying to avoid for years. On one hand, we fought against the threat of terrorism, and on the other hand, we tried to avoid confrontation with the US. For this purpose, we established a non-conflict mechanism with American forces in Syria. Thus, while carrying out our operations against terrorist targets, we also ensured non-conflict with the Americans. So it was a challenging task diplomatically and militarily, but we have brought it to this point so far, but always taking the risk of a major confrontation, because as I said, they have a presence there, and we have an existential threat there. Therefore, both sides are aware of this issue now. We are taking steps accordingly. President Trump had given instructions several times during his first term to abandon these policies, but unfortunately, at that time, nobody listened to him."

"THEY CANNOT DO THIS"

In response to allegations that the US requested Turkey not to launch a major attack against PKK/YPG, Fidan replied, "There is always an emphasis on not disrupting operations related to ISIS. However, they cannot ask us not to address the terrorist threat against ourselves. We would not listen to such a thing anyway. They cannot do this..." Fidan emphasized that another way must be found and that Turkey will continue its operations.