MOSCOW, December 18. /TASS/. Russia views Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s statements about Syrian cities potentially being part of Turkey as "hypothetical" and trusts that he and the country will honor Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing.
Earlier, at a congress of Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party, he stated that if the terms of the peace treaty with Turkey after World War I had been different, the Syrian cities of Aleppo, Idlib, Hama, Damascus, and Raqqa would have been part of Turkey. He added that despite these territories being under another state’s jurisdiction, Turkey has always maintained ties with their residents.
"We view these remarks as purely hypothetical and trust that the Republic of Turkey is committed to the principles of Syria's sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity, and to the provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 2254; this was confirmed during talks between the heads of the foreign ministries of Russia, Turkey, and Iran on December 7 on the sidelines of the 22nd Doha Forum," Zakharova said.