Syria's
Ambassador to the United Nations Bashar al-Jaafari (file photo)
Source:
Press TV
Damascus
won’t let Ankara split any Syrian territory in embattled Idlib: UN envoy
Jaafari
Syria's
Ambassador to the United Nations Bashar al-Jaafari says the Damascus government
and the Syrian nation will not allow Turkey to split and annex any part of the
Arab country’s embattled northwestern province of Idlib.
“I
can confirm that Syrian leadership besides Syrian people will not allow
[Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan or anyone else to repeat in Idlib what
happened in Alexandretta," Jaafari said in an exclusive interview with the
Arabic-language online newspaper Elnashra on Saturday.
In
1939, Turkey annexed the historically Syrian land of Alexandretta to its
territory and renamed it as the province of Hatay. The region is located on the
coast north of Latakia.
The
Syrian envoy said there is no difference between Erdogan and Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "as they are both occupiers and
aggressive."
"What
we care about in Syria is the elimination of terrorism and the establishment of
full control and sovereignty over Syrian soil. If Erdogan listens to the voice
of wisdom, puts an end to his support for terrorism, refrains from destructive
interference in Syria and stops wasting the blood of forces of his aggressive
and occupying army, this will serve peace and stability of all peoples of the
region, including the neighboring Turkish nation," he added.
Jaafari
warned that if the Turkish president insists on his "aggressive approach, nothing
will prevent us from continuing our war against terrorism and all those who
support, arm, finance, and use it for political gains."
He
went on to say that Turkey has violated the 2018 Sochi agreement, signed
between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Erdogan, by converting Turkish
observation points in Syria into safe havens to protect militant groups
designated as terrorist, noting Ankara did not commit to withdraw terrorist
groups to a distance of twenty kilometers (12.42 miles) west of the Abu Dahour
road between Aleppo and Idlib.
“On
the contrary, the number of terrorists, especially foreigners, increased in
Idlib, and instead of withdrawing all tanks, rocket launchers and mortars from
the demilitarized zone by October 10, 2018, thousands of soldiers plus heavy
military hardware were deployed inside the Syrian territory. We never expected
Erdogan to honor his pledges, because this simply means the end of his reckless
adventures in Syria, and an end to his political and military interventions in
other countries,” the Syrian UN ambassador pointed out.
Elsewhere
in his remarks, Jaafari stated that the Israeli regime directly supports terrorist
groups wreaking havoc in Syria, and mounts offensives on the Syrian soil to
support them.
“The
battle of Idlib is a key element of the final victory over terrorism. Everyone
knows it, and the United Nations even explicitly points to such a fact in its
official reports,” he said.
He
concluded that despite the high prices that the Syrians have paid because of
the war, "We have made important political and military achievements that
will definitely benefit the resistance front. Our battle is part of a long war,
and we will not retreat until we restore our rights in the occupied Golan
Heights.
The
remarks come two days after the Russian and Turkish presidents came to an
agreement on a ceasefire regime in Idlib, where Turkish violations have brought
about an unwarranted flare-up of already high levels of violence.
Putin
and Erdogan announced the deal on Thursday at a joint press conference in
Moscow after three hours of face-to-face talks.
According
to the agreement, joint Russian-Turkish patrols will secure a
six-kilometer-wide corridor along the M4 highway connecting the two
government-held provinces of Latakia and Aleppo.
The
ceasefire also consolidates Syrian control over the M5 highway which links the
capital Damascus to the major cities of Hama, Homs and Aleppo.
Related
News:
Posts
a.jpg)
a.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for commenting on this post. Please consider sharing it on Facebook or Twitter for a wider discussion.