President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated on Tuesday that the integration of the terrorist organization YPG-led SDF into Syria's state institutions will accelerate the country's development efforts, speaking to journalists aboard his plane while returning from Egypt on Monday.
Erdogan made the comments following his participation in the Sharm el-Sheikh Peace Summit in the Egyptian city of Sharm el-Sheikh.
"We continue our comprehensive contacts with Syria at all levels and in all areas," Erdogan said when asked about the integration timeline, stating, "We are determined to strengthen close coordination and cooperation to protect Syria's and the region's gains."
President Erdogan said Türkiye will not abandon Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and his colleagues. He said Türkiye frequently warns the SDF not to resort to wrong paths and to support Syria's unity and integrity.
"We hope they will adopt an attitude toward Syria's territorial integrity, unity and prosperous future," Erdogan said.
Integration of SDF expected to speed Syrian development
The Turkish president stated that the quickest possible integration of the SDF with Syria will accelerate the country's development efforts.
Erdogan later expressed appreciation for the Syrian administration's approach to moving forward with an understanding that includes all ethnic and religious elements of the country, emphasizing that this serves the interests of both Syria and Türkiye.
"Those who try to drag Syria back into conflict do not want the well-being of Kurds, Druze or Alawites," Erdogan said, adding: "As I said in Malazgirt Square, those who turn toward Ankara and Damascus will win; those who seek other patrons will lose."
The YPG, the Syrian branch of the terrorist organization PKK, dominates the SDF.
The Syrian presidency announced on March 10 an agreement to integrate the SDF into state institutions, stressing the country's territorial integrity and rejecting any separatist designs.
The terrorist group has violated the deal more than once.
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