Erdogan stated Turkey's position on preserving Syria's territorial integrity

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a meeting with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in Ankara that the Turkish state is in favor of preserving the territorial integrity of Syria. TRT Haber TV channel reported on December 13.

"Turkey has been in favor of preserving the territorial integrity, unity and unitary structure of Syria from the very beginning and that the international community should cooperate in Syria's revival and reconstruction," the Turkish president said.

He also noted that his country will take measures to protect national security if there is a threat from the Syrian opposition as well as the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK, banned in Turkey).

Moreover, Erdogan emphasized that the Turkish state is interested in the development of Turkish-American relations in all areas.

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Earlier, on December 3, the Turkish president discussed the situation in Syria with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Erdogan noted that in the context of recent events in Syria, the most important aspect is that civilians are not harmed.

On the eve, the Syrian Army's General Command reported that the military of the Arab Republic together with the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) eliminated more than 400 terrorists in Aleppo and Idlib provinces. The militaries of the two countries continue to carry out missile and air strikes on the positions of Islamist groups. On December 1, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad emphasized that the Arab Republic is capable of defeating terrorists with the help of allies and friends and will do it with the language of force.

Before that, on November 30, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held telephone talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, during which they discussed the current situation in Syria. It was specified that the parties confirmed the need to coordinate joint actions to stabilize the situation in the Syrian Arab Republic. At the same time, they concluded that the provisions of the Astana format should be used in this case.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi called the activation of terrorists in Syria part of the US plan against the background of Israel's defeat in Lebanon. In turn, the White House denied its involvement in what is happening. In addition, Britain, the U.S., France and Germany called on all parties in Syria to de-escalate.

On November 28, the Syrian ministry reported that terrorist groups launched a major attack in Aleppo and Idlib, and the Syrian army began to repel it, causing serious damage to the equipment and manpower of militants.