BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Turkey’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, discussed Israeli strikes in Syria, the U.S. policy U-turn and sanctions, and a possible Ukraine-Russia peace deal in an interview with Reuters on the sidelines of a NATO meeting in Brussels on Friday.
Here are some of his key comments:
SYRIA, ISRAEL, UNITED STATES:
“We don’t want to see any confrontation with Israel in Syria because Syria belongs to Syrians. Syria doesn’t belong to Turkey; Syria doesn’t belong to Israel.”
“We cannot talk on behalf of the Syrians. The Syrian security should be decided by the Syrians. If they want to partner with certain countries and certain international communities, they’re welcome. If they want to have certain understandings with the Israelis, it’s their business.”
“Unfortunately, Israel is taking out, one by one, all these capabilities that a new state can use against ISIS and other terrorist attacks and threats. So basically, what Israel is doing in Syria is not only threatening the security of Syria, but also is paving the way for future instability of the region. I don’t think it is good for Israel’s future in the region.”
“I think (the U.S.) are reviewing their policy because they are a new administration. They are just reviewing every file, and they are also reviewing the Syrian file as well. They understand that there is a need to make a change on sanctions policy because that was introduced for a different regime and different threat assessment. Now we have a new Syria. I think that new Syria requires a different approach. So as friends and allies of the United States and European Union, I think we’ve been giving our best advice.”
U.S. SANCTIONS ON TURKEY:
“CAATSA sanctions (imposed on Turkey by the U.S. in 2019 over it acquisition of Russian S-400 defence systems) are something that should have never happened between two big NATO allies, namely the United States and Turkey. I think that was a historical anomaly. I think it should be corrected. This is what we are trying to do with the new administration.”
“This is what we are trying to do with the new (U.S.) administration. Work had started with the previous administration a year ago but it was not finalised. I think Mr. Trump this time, with his problem-solving techniques and his team, will be able to come up with some sort of solutions.”
POSSIBLE UKRAINE-RUSSIA DEAL:
“The peculiarities of the current situation (in Ukraine) is not easy and will never be easy. So… it will be extremely difficult to digest any proposal. But when we look at the other option, which is more death and destruction, I think whatever the conditions that we have…will be more reasonable” than the alternative.
“If we reach an agreement and (it is) agreed by both sides, I think we should expect that it is honoured.”
IRAN AND U.S.:
“Our region cannot tolerate another war, another big source of instability. And we don’t know what type of escalation might occur in case of such an attack. So we don’t want to see any (U.S.) attack on Iran taking place. We need to see, as was the case in the past, peaceful negotiations employed by both sides and interested parties.”
NEW U.S. FOREIGN POLICY:
“Now Europe is facing a crisis, but that crisis might lead also (to) an opportunity to really become more independent and less dependent in certain areas on the United States.”
(Reporting by Samia Nakhoul, additional reporting by Huseyin Hayatsever, Tuvan Gumrukcu and Jonathan Spicer; Editing by Gareth Jones)
Comments