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Conflict in Syria

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Erdogan calls for preventing Syria from turning into hotbed of terrorism

"Turkey is the only country and ally that defeated both of these terrorist organizations," the Turkish leader stressed

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool, File

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

© AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool, File

ANKARA, December 17. /TASS/. Syria should not turn into a hotbed of terrorism and the fight against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK, outlawed in Turkey) and the Islamic State terror group (IS, outlawed in Russia) must continue, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

"As for Syria, we need to prevent the country from becoming a hotbed of terrorism. The fight against both the IS and the PKK and its affiliated organizations was one of the main issues we discussed today," he pointed out at a press conference following talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

"Turkey is the only country and ally that has defeated both of these terrorist organizations. We certainly will not allow these organizations to prosper again. The fight must go on," Erdogan added.

The Turkish leader noted that "the Syrian people will not be able to carry the heavy burden" of having to reconstruct the country and strengthen national security alone. "Syria’s neighbors, its friends and fraternal nations should quickly start taking steps with substantial backing from the European Union and international organizations. I’m making this very clear today. Unfortunately, the international community did not provide enough support to the Syrian people while they were suffering from violence during the past 13 years. Now, the opportunity has presented itself to make up for this lack of assistance," Erdogan said.

According to him, rebuilding Syria will require great support. That said, Turkey "has reopened its embassy in Damascus." Ankara, in Erdogan’s words, "will continue to support its Syrian brothers."

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Syrian conflict

Middle East conflict

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