Turkey Denies Trump’s “unfriendly Syria Takeover” Claim, Blinken Reminds Hts of “Taliban Isolation”
Turkey rejected US President-elect Donald Trump’s claim that its involvement in Syria was an “unfriendly takeover.” Trump praised Turkey for its actions, but Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan emphasized that it was not a takeover but rather the will of the Syrian people shaping the future. He stressed that Turkey’s focus is on cooperation, not domination. Meanwhile, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s leader, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, discussed future strategic ties with Turkey and called for lifting sanctions on Syria. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged HTS to honor its promises of inclusion, learning from the Taliban’s isolation. n18oc_crux
