HTS LEADER SAYS TURKIYE IS SYRIA’S FRIEND, PLEGES STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP

Mon 23 December 2024:

The head of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), Ahmed Al-Sharaa, said on Sunday evening that Turkiye is a nation that is friendly to Syria, and expressed his intention to establish strategic relations between the two countries, Anadolu has reported. Al-Sharaa — also known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad Al-Julani — made his comment in a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Damascus.

“Turkiye is a friend to the Syrian people,” said Al-Sharaa. “Since the beginning of the revolution, it has stood by us, and Syria has not forgotten that.”

He added that his talks with Fidan focused on “strengthening the new government, particularly the ministry of defence, and ensuring that weapons are exclusively under state control.” The HTS leader noted Turkiye’s readiness to support Syria.

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“We will build strategic relations with Turkiye that suit the future of the region,” said Al-Sharaa, and there is a “consensus” among all segments of the Syrian people to establish a new state that aligns with the realities and needs of Syrian society.

The new Syrian leader revealed agreements with factions to form a unified leadership and establish a ministry of defence, with most factions agreeing to this approach.

“In the coming days, we will announce the ministry of defence and form a committee of military leaders to design the army’s structure,” he explained. “After this, factions will dissolve themselves, and no weapons will be allowed outside state control. Unregulated weapons lead to the destabilisation of the state. The logic of the state differs from the logic of the revolution, and we will not allow any weapons to remain outside state control.”

On Syria’s economic and social situation, Al-Sharaa pointed out that half of the Syrian population is outside the country, and the economic infrastructure is destroyed. “The challenges before us are immense.”

He stressed the importance of alleviating the suffering of the Syrian people as much as possible and called for the lifting of sanctions on the country. “These sanctions must end now that the reasons for their imposition are gone with the ousting of the previous regime. There must be international consensus on stabilising Syria, preserving its territorial integrity, and lifting sanctions.”

Al-Sharaa criticised the former Baath regime, which ruled for over half a century, accusing it of “intimidating minorities and fuelling divisions,” while asserting his government’s commitment to “protecting sects and minorities.”

-MEMO

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