Syria Support Movement solidarity with the Syrian people
from The News Desk at The Cradle, April 4, 2023
Dr. Ayman Sousan, Syrian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, reiterated Syria’s demand that Turkiye announces a full withdrawal of all its forces from Syrian territory and then follow through with such a withdrawal if it wishes to re-establish relations with Syria, state-run media SANA reported on Tuesday, 4 April.
In a speech to the four-way meeting of the assistants of the foreign ministers of Syria, Russia, Iran, and Turkiye, which is held in the Russian capital of Moscow, Sousan reminded attendees that restoring peace to northeast and northwest Syria is only possible through a framework that preserves Syria’s sovereignty and unity, facilitates the withdrawal of all illegal forces, combats terrorism, and re-establishes the authority of the Syrian state over all its territory.
Sousan explained further that Syria has been subjected to an unprecedented terrorist war during the past 12 years, with full and unlimited planning and support from some Western, regional, and Arab countries. Foreign extremists flooded Syria from more than a hundred countries, and unfortunately, this was through neighboring countries.
Turkish forces have been occupying areas of northwest Syria following military interventions in 2016, 2018, and 2019 and have supported various armed groups, including internationally designated terrorist groups such as the Nusra Front and ISIS, in Syria since 2011 in cooperation with the United States, Britain, France, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Jordan. The Nusra Front, now known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, continues to occupy much of northwest Syria’s Idlib province with Turkish assistance.
Sousan concluded by saying that if the Turkish side is serious about correcting the relationship with Syria and respecting its sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, and non-interference in its internal affairs, then there will be no difficulty in responding to what the Syrian delegation to the four-way meeting in Moscow is proposing, and this will open the door to various areas of cooperation in the interest of both countries.
The reconciliation effort taking place in meetings in Moscow today between Turkiye and Syria follows the resumption of relations between Syria and several Arab states, most notably Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia and Syria have agreed to reopen their embassies after an 11-year freeze in diplomatic relations. The two governments are preparing to reopen embassies following the holy month of Ramadan.
Relations between the two countries ceased following Saudi Arabia’s participation in the CIA’s Operation Timber Sycamore, which sought to topple the Syrian government.
The recent Saudi-Syria reconciliation comes in the framework of Saudi Arabia’s “Eurasian shift,” which has seen the energy-producing giant distance itself from its former US patrons and move to establish better relations with Russia, China, Yemen, and, crucially, Iran.
