Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
Astana, SANA- There can be no normal relations between two states, one of which occupies the lands of the other, Assistant Foreign and Expatriates Minister, Dr. Ayman Sousan stressed.
Sousan’s remarks came in an interview with RT TV on Tuesday on the sidelines of his participation in the 20th International Meeting on Syria in the Astana format.
The Assistant Foreign and Expatriates Minister said that restoring relations between Syria and Turkey to normal requires Turkey’s commitment to the Astana understandings, especially respect for Syria’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, and acknowledging the withdrawal of its forces from Syrian territory according to a clear and specific timetable, and actually starting to implement this withdrawal.
He noted that the Astana meetings have made important achievements in terms of reducing the area of terrorism in Syria, mainly in the three de-escalation zones, adding “As for the fourth zone, there would have been a share of success had it not been for the positions of one of the guarantors, I mean Turkey.”
Sousan added “We hope that this meeting will proceed as the previous meetings have gone in order to reach the complete elimination of terrorism, and this thing is possible if the Turkish side adheres to the understandings it signed and respects the pledges that come at the forefront of the Astana statements.”
He added that the current round of the International Meeting on Syria in the Astana format is gaining additional importance because it came after the quadripartite meetings of “Syria, Russia, Iran and Turkey,” at the diplomatic, military and security levels.
“At the conclusion of the four-way meeting at the level of foreign ministers on May 10th, it was decided to instruct the deputy ministers to draw up a “road map” for the advancement of relations between Syria and Turkey, which is an achievable subject, but it has requirements, foremost of which is a clear approval by the Turkish side to withdraw from the Syrian territory according to a clear and specific timetable,” Sousan continued.
Sousan affirmed that these requirements are national constants that are not subject to bargaining and negotiation, and they include the complete and unconditional withdrawal from the Syrian territory, and this is the basic entry point for any normal relations with Turkey.
He added that the Astana format could have achieved a lot if the Turkish side adhered to the commitments and understandings that were reached and agreed upon, whether with the guarantor states in general or with the Russian side.
Sousan expressed hope that the new developments that took place recently, especially in the field of Syrian foreign relations, and before that, Syria’s return to the meetings of Arab League and its active participation in the Arab Summit in Jeddah, in addition to the efforts made by Russian and Iranian friends mainly in assuring the Turkish side that there is only one way to reform relations with Syria which is to end the occupation.
Regarding the illegal American presence in Syria and Washington’s support for separatist militias in al-Jazeera region, Sousan said “Syria has always affirmed that the Kurdish citizens are an integral part of the national fabric, and it is our duty to hold dialogue with them, but under the roof of the one unified homeland… As for the US presence and its standing behind the separatist project, it comes within the framework of the US policy to impede the consolidation of stability in Syria.”
Sousan added “We say to everyone who proceeds in this project that the US will not stay forever in Syria, and it will leave sooner or later, and you do not mean anything to it, but rather a tool in this project.”
With regard to Washington’s continued support for Daesh “ISIS” terrorist organization, Sousan stressed that the organization is an American industry and everyone knows that, and it is moving and using it at the time it wants to achieve its goals.
Regarding the issue of refugees and their return, the Assistant Foreign and Expatriates Minister affirmed that this issue is one of the most painful issues for Syria, because it has lost many of its cadres and youth as a result of this war, so many measures have been taken, including amnesty decrees and administrative measures to facilitate this return, but unfortunately there are countries that cry over refugees and impose illegitimate economic measures on Syria and continue to exploit the suffering of those refugees to serve its agendas.
In response to a question about the return of relations between Syria and the Arab countries, and whether we might witness this kind of relations with Qatar, Sousan said: “The nature of relations between any two countries is governed by circumstances and positions on certain issues, and changing positions constitutes an entry point for new relations with this or that country.”
Concerning the resumption of bilateral relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Sousan said that the rapprochement between these two countries is a very good thing for them and for the region and for this reason Syria welcomed this rapprochement.
Ruaa al-Jazaeri
