Countries supporting Turkey’s military campaign in northeast Syria are supporting terrorism, said the envoy of Damascus Riad Abbas here on Monday.
Addressing a press conference the envoy thanked India for supporting Syrian sovereignty and said Syria will require the support of friendly countries for its reconstruction efforts.
“On behalf of my government we welcome the Indian statement on the Turkish invasion of Syria. We appreciate the official Indian position. I met with External Affairs Minister and discussed the current issue with Syria and...on how to defeat cross-border terrorism,” said Mr. Abbas.
He noted Pakistan’s support to Turkey and said his country is dealing with cross-border terrorism. “Countries that support Turkey are supporting terrorism,” he said, when asked about Pakistan’s support to Turkey.
India had expressed deep concern at the military assault on northeastern Syria and had called Turkey’s military campaign as ‘unilateral.’
The envoy accused Turkey and the United States of being responsible for the growth of Islamic State (IS) in the region and said maintenance of U.S. presence in the region will boost the IS fighters.
“President Erdogan opened the Turkish border with Syria to mercenaries’ training camp and allowed them to enter Syria to kill Syrian people and destroying Syria,” said the Ambassador in his statement. The terrorists are being fully aided and funded by the U.S. and its allies, the statement added.
Mr. Abbas asserted that Syria will throw out all the fighters of foreign countries active in the civil war. “We will defeat Turkey and are calling upon all foreign terrorists to leave Syria immediately,” said the Syrian ambassador.
He maintained that foreign powers have facilitated thousands of foreign militants to reach Syria, and said, “Syria will continue its war on terror and liberation of all Syria territories and expel all illegitmate forces present.”
