Turkish FM says ‘foreign interference’ not behind Syria flareup

Turkey, which backs rebel factions in Syria, on Monday rejected any suggestion that “foreign interference” was behind the offensive launched by jihadists in the country’s north, Agence France-Presse reported.

“It would be a mistake at this time to try to explain the events in Syria by any foreign interference,” Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said at a joint press conference in Ankara with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi.

The recent flareup, which saw Damascus losing swaths of territory in northwestern Syria, including Aleppo, during a lightning offensive by rebels, was due to the regime’s failure to engage in dialogue with opposition groups, he said.

“The lack of talks between the regime and the opposition has brought the problem to this point,” he said, describing it as “a mistake to ignore the legitimate demands of the opposition.”

“Damascus must reconcile with its own people and the legitimate opposition,” he added.

“We do not want an escalation of the civil war,” he said, echoing remarks made in a phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday in which he said Turkey would support moves “to reduce tension” in Syria.

Turkish troops and Turkey-backed rebel factions control much of northern Syria, and Ankara is concerned that the recent outbreak of fighting could swell the flow of people fleeing across the border.

“We don’t want civilians to be killed or cities bombarded or people being displaced. We want these displaced people to be able to go back. The flow of refugees must be reversed,” he said.

Turkey is already hosting some 3.2 million Syrian refugees, according to UN data.

Syria’s Bashar al-Assad on Monday branded the Islamist-led offensive as a bid to redraw the map of the region in line with US interests in a phone call with his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian.

Both Iran and Russia, which have backed Assad since Syria’s civil war broke out in 2011, have said they will help Damascus fight back after losing Aleppo, with Tehran confirming it would keep its military advisers in Syria.