Erdogan calls for peace in Syria amid opposition advances on Damascus

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed hope on Saturday that Syria would soon find peace, as Syrian opposition forces made significant advances toward the capital, Damascus.

‘Syria tired of war, blood’

“Our wish is for our neighbor, Syria, to achieve the peace and tranquility it has sought for 13 years,” Erdogan said during a speech in Gaziantep, a southeastern Turkish city that has become a refuge for hundreds of thousands of Syrians.

He added that Syria “is tired of war, blood, and tears.”

Damascus regime couldn’t grasp value of hand extended by Türkiye and didn’t understand what it meant, said President Erdogan.

Türkiye, which shares a long border with Syria, has hosted around three million Syrian refugees since the civil war began in 2011.

Erdogan emphasized the importance of freedom and security for Syrians, saying, “Our Syrian brothers and sisters deserve freedom, security, and peace in their homeland.” He expressed hope for a future where diverse identities in Syria coexist peacefully.

“There is now a new political and diplomatic reality in Syria,” Erdogan said, criticizing Damascus for failing to grasp “the hand extended by Turkey.”