Turkey-Syria relations were severed in the early days of Syrian uprising in 2011 but Turkish officials have claimed that security and intelligence meetings have continued between both countries. Turkey has supported Syrian opposition forces against the President Bashar al-Assad’s regime since then.
Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkish foreign minister, told reporters in Ankara on Thursday that he had a brief meeting with his Syrian counterpart, Faisal Mekdad, in October, proposing reconciliation with the opposition and regime.
"We have to somehow bring the opposition and the regime in Syria together to reach an agreement. Otherwise, there will be no lasting peace," Cavusoglu said, reported the Turkish state media.
This angered thousands of people in Turkish-held areas in northwest Syria such as Azaz, Afrin, Idlib who took to streets, rejecting calls for reconciliation with the regime.
“As revolutionaries, we are united here to reject any reconciliation with the regime, as that means destruction and displacement of millions of Syrians," Yassin al-Ahmad, a displaced Syrian residing in al-Bab, told AFP.
"This reconciliation is not in our hands, and it is not in Turkey's hands. For us it is suicide and a crime," the 37-year-old added.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that the protests were held in most of the areas held by Turkish forces. The war monitor also published footage which purportedly showed a protester burning the Turkish flag.
“Down with Turkey and down with the regime,” was one of the main slogans of the protesters, according to the SOHR.
A number of opposition officials and institutions also rejected any reconciliation with the regime.
Following the protests, a spokesperson for the Turkish foreign ministry supported Cavusoglu’s remarks, saying Ankara has played a prominent role in the committee which has been formed to rewrite the Syrian constitution and it has “fully supported” the opposition’s negotiations committee but “[t]his process is not progressing at the moment due to the fact that regime is dragging its feet. The points raised by our Minister yesterday highlight this reality too.”
“Our solidarity with the Syrian people will continue,” added Tanju Bilgic.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday claimed that there are ongoing talks between Turkish and Syrian intelligences regarding the fight against terrorism - a claim previously denied by Damascus.
Erdogan added that Russian President Vladimir Putin had asked him to coordinate with the Syrian regime in the fight against terrorism. Russia is the main backer of Assad.
In 2011, Erdogan labelled Assad a dictator for oppressing his own people, calling on his to resign. “Leave your seat before you tyrannise any more.”
Turkish main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has repeatedly criticised Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) for its thorny relations with Assad, promising to mend ties with Damascus if his party comes to power.
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