Hakan Fidan: Turkey Is Not Competing with Israel in Syria

ARK News.. The Turkish foreign minister affirmed that Israel’s repeated attacks on Syrian territory—including ground incursions in the south—constitute a “clear violation of international law” and pose a direct threat to regional stability, stressing that Turkey is not competing with Israel in Syria.

In remarks made during an interview with Al Jazeera, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that the Israeli attacks reveal an “expansionist scheme targeting Syria’s unity and sovereignty,” at a time when Damascus is continuing efforts to rebuild its economy following the lifting of U.S. sanctions.

Fidan argued that Israel invokes security concerns as a pretext to keep Syria and other countries in the region “weak states,” noting that Tel Aviv is “uncomfortable with the growing international support for Syria at this stage.”

Regarding claims of competition between Turkey and Israel in Syria, Fidan emphasized that Ankara “does not see itself and Israel pursuing the same objective, belonging to the same category, or occupying the same position on this issue.”

He clarified: “We do not see ourselves in a race with Israel on the Syrian arena,” stressing that “no party has the right to encroach on the borders of another. Israel’s borders recognized by the United Nations are clear, and so are Syria’s borders.”

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