Erdogan says Turkey supports Syria's territorial integrity

Turkey opposes the division of Syria and will take action if it sees a risk of its disintegration. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said this on January 6, speaking after a cabinet meeting.

"With the epic revolution that took place in neighboring Syria, a new era has begun in that country and in our region. <...> We do not agree with the disintegration of Syria and breaking its unitary structure under any pretext. If we see risks in this regard, we will quickly take the necessary steps," Erdogan said, his words quoted by the Hürriyet daily.

He noted that the new Syrian government is trying to rebuild Syria on the basis of its territorial integrity and unity, which coincides with Turkey's aspirations.

The president assured that the hatchet will be buried in Syria. Ankara, for its part, showed that it has the will to defend its security and is not intimidated by terrorist organizations. The head of state pointed out that the strength of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is recognized as a terrorist organization in Turkey, is decreasing and the same is true for the organization's branches in Syria.

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Earlier in the day, Hürriyet reported that Syria's new leadership met with representatives of the PKK and demanded that it and other armed groups operating in the territory of the republic lay down their arms. The publication specified that this is important in order to prevent a civil war from breaking out again in Syria.

Ruslan Andreev, an expert of the Polylog Group and political consultant, noted in a conversation with Izvestia on January 3 that Syria is actually divided between several quasi-state entities, and this factor, together with the external influence of Turkey and Israel, may lead to the Arab republic breaking up into several separate territories. Nevertheless, the exact development of events cannot be predicted yet.

On December 8, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, after negotiations with the opposition, left the post of the head of state and left the country, instructing to carry out the transfer of power peacefully.

The situation in Syria escalated as a result of a major attack by armed formations in Aleppo and Idlib, which began on November 28 and led to the Syrian army's retaliatory actions against the militants.