War in Syria: Erdogan speaks of a “new reality” in Syria

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has described the rapidly advancing rebel offensive in neighboring Syria as a “new political and diplomatic reality.” Syria, with all its diversity, belongs to the Syrians, Erdoğan said on Saturday in Gaziantep. The Syrian people will determine the country’s future, the Turkish president said, calling on international actors to support Syria’s territorial integrity. Turkey hopes that there will be peace in Syria soon, he added.

The civil war in Syria has flared up again with a rebel offensive led by the Islamist group Haiat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). In a very short time, the group took over many areas, some of them without a fight. The aim of the insurgents is to overthrow the government in Damascus. Turkey denies having anything to do with the offensive. However, observers in the country assume that Ankara has at least approved the move

The conflict began in 2011 with protests against Assad’s government. Security forces took a tough approach. The spiral of violence resulted in a civil war with international involvement in which Russia, Iran, Turkey and the USA pursued their own interests. According to UN estimates, more than 300,000 civilians have died so far. A political solution has not been in sight for years.

Around 14 million people were displaced. As a neighboring country, Turkey has taken in the most Syrian refugees in the world; according to the UN, around three million displaced people from Syria still live there.