Ankara: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan affirmed his country’s support for the ceasefire and full integration agreement reached between the Syrian government and the SDF, noting that the implementation of the January 18 agreement, despite its challenges, will play a crucial role in preserving Syria’s unity and territorial integrity.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, in a televised interview with the local TRT channel, Fidan said: “We fully support the January 18 agreement, just as we supported the March 10 agreement signed between the Syrian government and the SDF leader. What’s important to us is that there is an agreement.”

He added: “Although Turkey has reservations on certain issues, we prefer to set them aside and adopt a policy based on prioritizing support for the agreement.”

Fidan continued, saying, “Granting rights to our Kurdish brothers by decree issued by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, after years of deprivation under Assad’s rule, is of paramount importance. The decree is extremely significant, both in terms of guaranteeing cultural rights and in terms of strengthening citizens’ sense of security and belonging.”

Fidan recalled that Turkey, and especially Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, had previously made efforts with the Syrian government to grant citizenship to many Kurds who had been denied it, but those efforts were unsuccessful at the time.

Regarding the prisons in Syria where ISIS members and their families are held, which are guarded by the SDF, Fidan said: “We view with grave concern the recycled tactic of releasing ISIS detainees by the SDF, the front for the terrorist YPG.”

Fidan emphasized that his country has always been at the forefront of the fight against ISIS and will continue to strengthen its efforts in this area in cooperation with the Syrian administration.

Regarding his earlier meeting in Ankara with the US Ambassador to Ankara and Special Envoy to Syria, Thomas Barrack, Fidan said: “I met with US Ambassador Thomas Barrack, who shared his impressions of his meetings in Damascus. We exchanged views and affirmed that Turkey will always continue to play a constructive role… and they, for their part, sincerely appreciate this role.”