No room for ‘state within a state’ or separate armed forces in Syria: Turkish president

There can be no "state within a state" or separate armed forces in Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Tuesday, stressing that the country's crisis must be resolved peacefully and in line with existing agreements.

Speaking at the International Contracting Services Award Ceremony, Erdoğan said a political solution consistent with the spirit of the political agreement remains the only viable path forward.

"We are greatly pleased to see that the latest decree guarantees the fundamental rights of our Kurdish brothers and sisters, who were not even considered citizens under the Assad regime," he said, adding: "The right path for Syria is clear. We want everyone to see that repeating the same mistakes and errors will lead nowhere."

Erdoğan said that Türkiye is responding to humanitarian aid requests from "our Kurdish brothers and sisters living beyond our borders in close cooperation with the Syrian government."

He called on "Kurdish brothers, sisters, and fellow citizens not to fall for schemes that aim to undermine our eternal brotherhood and sow discord among us."

The president also said that a major reconstruction and rehabilitation campaign will begin throughout Syria, especially in the residential areas that the former regime had reduced to rubble with barrel bombs.

As Syria attains stability and security, all neighboring countries, starting with Türkiye, will directly feel its positive effects, he added.