The spokesperson of the AK Party, Ömer Çelik, announced the red line in Syria.

AK Party Deputy Chairman and Party Spokesman Ömer Çelik stated regarding the developments in Syria, "We see that the regime has handed over certain areas to the terrorist organization on its own, we see that it has handed them over to the PKK. We are clearly capturing the photo of this cooperation. We do not want any terrorist presence in Tel Rıfat and Manbij," he said.

AK Party's Çelik held a press conference at the party's headquarters. Çelik stated that there have been some incorrect statements regarding President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's evaluations on the Syria issue. Çelik said, "In this context, I would like to express that we are closely following this entire process and that we are making the necessary effort to provide correct answers to all these issues and to place the correct answers in their proper context. There are various statements from opposition parties within Turkey, and unfortunately, we have seen significant mistakes in these statements so far. This is an approach that is conducted with certain attributions and even accusations that are outside the policy that Turkey has pursued until now," he said.

"WE ARE NOT IN A POSITION AGAINST ANY STATE THERE"

Afterward, responding to questions from the press, Çelik answered a journalist's question regarding CHP Chairman Özgür Özel's statement, "Iran's weakening in the region, the outbreak of sectarian wars, the strengthening of Israel, and ensuring security should not be Ankara's priority." He said, "We watched Mr. Özgür Özel's group speech yesterday, and to be honest, when I heard these statements, I felt the need to look again, and then we reassessed exactly which sentence he said to avoid making a mistake. What we see is this; Mr. Özgür Özel is holding words that should be said to other states against the Republic of Turkey. Turkey has no motivation in its regional policy to weaken or strengthen Iran, or to weaken or strengthen any state, and this is also true for Syria. The same applies to Russia; there is no motivation to weaken or strengthen. We have expressed many times what our presence there is aimed at. We are not in a position against any group or any state there," he replied.

"ÖZEL'S USE OF SUCH A SENTENCE IS IRRESPONSIBILITY"

Çelik, stating that they are there to meet Turkey's legitimate interests and national security needs, said, "With the weakening of the Syrian state, after the approach of terrorist organizations very close to our border, especially to maintain a certain depth, we carried out the Euphrates Shield and other operations for the purpose of preserving this depth. Now, what is interesting here is this; it is being discussed along a few lines. Firstly, it is mentioned as you said. Unfortunately, the fact that Özgür Özel, the leader of the main opposition party, has constructed such a sentence is a great irresponsibility. To say that the Republic of Turkey is there to weaken or strengthen any neighboring state or regional state is a complete lack of foresight and irresponsibility," he said.

"SAYING THIS TO THE PEOPLE'S ALLIANCE IS ABSURD"

Çelik responded to CHP Chairman Özel's statement, "No steps should be taken to strengthen Israel's dominance," saying, "For this to be said to our President, our party, the People's Alliance, and our government is a situation that can only be described as absurd. We have clearly stated our stance and objectives so far, but now some external centers are speaking with the language of certain states, articulating the thesis of certain states, and accusing the Republic of Turkey. Unfortunately, we also see some reflections of this internally. However, in Mr. Özgür Özel's speech, all the views of the states and centers that accuse Turkey have been compiled and turned into an accusation against our government by the leader of the main opposition party, which is extremely wrong. Turkey's presence there is not in favor of or against any state; it is carried out to protect the security of the Republic of Turkey and its legitimate rights, based on a framework derived from international law," he said.

"ALL OF THESE ARE UNTRUE, ALL OF THEM ARE LIES"

In response to a question about claims that Turkey is behind the movements of the opposition in Aleppo, Çelik said, "In some statements made from outside, and in some comments within Turkey, they express that 'Turkey is behind this recent movement and that Turkey has provoked it.' I say clearly; all of these are untrue, all of them are lies. What we desire in Syria is not the escalation of violence or the increase of conflicts in any way. The situation arising here is a picture stemming from the internal dynamics of Syria, as we have repeatedly warned in the Astana processes. What is this picture? It is a picture stemming from the internal dynamics of Syria. You know, the Moscow Agreement was reached on March 5, 2020, the Astana processes continued, and the Sochi Agreement was made. There was a picture that emerged from all of these. What is that? There will be a de-escalation zone in Idlib. Secondly, 'There will be no elements 6 kilometers north and 6 kilometers south of the M4 and M5 highways; that area will be a safe zone.' However, so far, various attacks have been carried out on the Idlib De-escalation Zone by both the regime and other elements, and the principles established in the Moscow Agreement and other agreements and the Astana processes regarding the non-violation of the designated areas have been violated many times, resulting in serious civilian casualties.

"IT IS EXTREMELY SIGNIFICANT TO USE THIS AGAINST OUR PRESIDENT"

Çelik stated that Turkey has repeatedly expressed the need to adhere to the rules and principles in the Idlib De-escalation Zone and that the status confirmed in the Astana processes must be preserved. "Turkey has conveyed this current movement to all parties and has urged this direction. Now we see that these statements are being made by the spokespeople of some states, but the fact that these statements are used directly against our government for opposition in Turkey is extremely significant; none of these have any reality," he concluded.

Our position here is clear. Firstly, the rules in the Idlib de-escalation zone must be adhered to. We do not have any approach or assessment that can be described as 'the escalation of conflicts within Syria' in any way. On the contrary, our President continues to maintain the will for joint work with the states in the Astana process on how this issue can be resolved," he said.

"PROMISES HAVE NOT BEEN KEPT"

Çelik also responded to the question, 'How does Turkey approach the movements of terrorist organizations in Syria?' with the following statements: "In the previous agreements, we had two demands. Firstly, the removal of the terrorist organization from Tel Rifat and Manbij. The promises made to us regarding the removal of the terrorist organization from Tel Rifat and Manbij have not been fulfilled. Secondly, our President has repeatedly stated, 'We do not want to see any armed elements or terrorist organizations operating against our country at a depth of 30 kilometers from the Turkish border.' So far, neither the terrorist elements have been removed from Tel Rifat nor from Manbij within the framework of the promises made to us. Therefore, the presence of these terrorist organizations there poses a threat to the security and legitimate rights of the Republic of Turkey; promises have not been kept. After the recent movements and conflicts, the regime is inviting the PKK terrorist organization and the PYD to the areas it has abandoned, and it is handing over the places under its control to this terrorist organization. This clearly demonstrates the cooperation between the regime and the terrorist organization before our eyes. Therefore, our position here has always been that we do not want to see any presence of terrorist organizations in Tel Rifat and Manbij. Because they pose a threat to our country, they kill civilians, and they create tensions that could lead to other conflicts."

"THE INTEGRITY OF SYRIA MUST BE PROTECTED"

Emphasizing that the issue of a 30-kilometer depth is a red line, Çelik stated, "The issue of a 30-kilometer depth is not something that Turkey decided on a whim. When there are threats against our country, these terrorist organizations must be pushed outside this border, and an agreement has been reached with all countries involved in this matter, and this declaration has been communicated to the other side. Therefore, we see that the regime is handing over certain areas to the terrorist organization on its own, we see that it is handing them over to the PKK. We are clearly capturing the picture of this cooperation. We do not want any presence of terrorism in Tel Rifat and Manbij. We express that we will not allow any armed terrorist organization that threatens our country at a depth of 30 kilometers. Other than that, we have no end regarding the territorial integrity of Syria or other issues. On the contrary, we desire an inclusive government in Syria and the preservation of territorial integrity," he said.

"IT IS A LIE TO SAY THAT WE HAVE EXPANSIONIST ASPIRATIONS"

In response to a journalist's question, 'President Erdoğan had previously made a call to Syrian President Assad; is this call still valid today?' Çelik replied: "Until now, as you know, the call made to the regime until reaching today's point has been this; the opposition should come together and an inclusive government should be established so that Syria can continue on its path in unity and integrity. It is a complete lie to say that we have any expansionist aspirations here. We are not in any expansionist or confrontational desire towards our neighbors. On the contrary, we want the territorial integrity of all of them to be preserved, and for them to continue on their way with an inclusive state model. We do not wish for civilian deaths to occur. Of course, we have two sensitivities from Turkey's perspective. We do not want any security threat to be posed to Turkey; this was the case with the Tel Rifat and Manbij issue. Tel Rifat has been cleared, and we are monitoring the Manbij issue."