Erdogan urges end to 'instability' in Syria amid rebel offensive

He said 13 years of conflict must come to an end through consensus, in line with the demands of the Syrian people

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for an end to the ongoing instability in Syria, urging for an agreement to halt the civil war, which has intensified following a lightning rebel offensive.

“Our greatest wish is for Syria’s territorial integrity and national unity to be preserved,” Erdogan said, adding that the 13 years of conflict must come to an end through consensus, in line with the legitimate demands of the Syrian people.

He pointed to the broader regional instability, stating, “For a long time, we have been warning that the spiral of violence in the Middle East could also impact Syria. Recent events have confirmed that Turkey was right.”

Erdogan assured that Turkey was monitoring the situation closely, emphasising that the country would take all necessary steps to protect its national security interests. “We are following events moment by moment, and we will take action to prevent anything that could harm our security,” he added.

Turkey’s security concerns amid border tensions

Turkey shares a long border with Syria and has been actively involved in the conflict, with Turkish forces and their allies controlling significant territory in northern Syria. Since 2016, Turkey has carried out numerous military operations in the region, targeting Kurdish fighters it accuses of staging attacks inside Turkey.

In addition to the security concerns, Turkey currently hosts around 3.2 million Syrian refugees, many of whom fled the violence since the outbreak of the civil war in 2011. The recent flare-up in violence has raised fears of an even greater refugee influx.

Diplomatic relations between Turkey and Syria broke down when the war began. However, since November 2022, Erdogan has sought to improve ties with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, though these efforts have so far not led to significant progress.