Turkish Defense: Our forces will withdraw as soon as the regime and the opposition agree on a new constitution and hold elections

ARK News… Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Guler, on the evening of Monday, December 11, 2023, confirmed his country’s commitment to withdrawing its military forces from Syria, while restoring safety and stability to the neighboring country, noting that “the return will not take place until an agreement is reached between the regime and the opposition on a new constitution, and holding elections.”

Guler said in statements according to the Daily Sabah newspaper that “Turkey does not seek to possess new lands,” at a time when relations between Turkey and Syria are witnessing attempts to improve them after a period of tensions.

Guler explained, "Turkish forces will leave Syria as soon as the Assad regime agrees with the opposition on a new constitution and holds elections, two conditions that may pave the way for ending the conflict in the country, which has exceeded a decade in history."

The statements of the Turkish Defense Minister came after the statements of the Russian President's envoy to Syria and Russia's ambassador to Damascus, Alexander Yefimov, who indicated that "the deterioration in Palestine had an impact on tensions in the region, but it confirmed the continuation of efforts to achieve rapprochement between Turkey and Syria."

In a related context, the Turkish newspaper "Yeni Şafak" published important conditions for normalizing relations with Damascus, including a constitutional amendment, holding fair elections in Syria, the safe return of Syrian refugees, and cooperation in combating terrorism, especially with regard to the Kurdistan Workers' Party PKK.

In this context, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed that “the request of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for Turkey to leave the northern regions of Syria will not be fulfilled,” noting that “his country continues to fight terrorism in those regions.”

In another diplomatic context, an “alternative platform” is being searched for to participate in the Constitutional Committee, with the participation of the UN envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, with the aim of facilitating the political process and achieving rapprochement between the concerned parties, according to the Russian ambassador in Damascus.

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