Syria’s Assad Blames Türkiye’s Erdogan for Violence in Syria, Insists on Pullout of Turkish Troops

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan talks to media as he visits Anitkabir, the mausoleum of modern Türkiye’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, ahead of the annual meeting of the Supreme Military Council (YAS) in Ankara, Türkiye August 3, 2023. (Presidential Press Office/Handout via Reuters)
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan talks to media as he visits Anitkabir, the mausoleum of modern Türkiye’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, ahead of the annual meeting of the Supreme Military Council (YAS) in Ankara, Türkiye August 3, 2023. (Presidential Press Office/Handout via Reuters)
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Syria’s Assad Blames Türkiye’s Erdogan for Violence in Syria, Insists on Pullout of Turkish Troops

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan talks to media as he visits Anitkabir, the mausoleum of modern Türkiye’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, ahead of the annual meeting of the Supreme Military Council (YAS) in Ankara, Türkiye August 3, 2023. (Presidential Press Office/Handout via Reuters)
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan talks to media as he visits Anitkabir, the mausoleum of modern Türkiye’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, ahead of the annual meeting of the Supreme Military Council (YAS) in Ankara, Türkiye August 3, 2023. (Presidential Press Office/Handout via Reuters)

Syria’s President Bashar Assad slammed Türkiye in comments published Wednesday, blaming Ankara for the uptick in violence in his war-torn country and insisting on the withdrawal of Turkish forces from Syria.

Assad spoke in an interview with Sky News Arabia, his first interview with a foreign media outlet in months. The interview is to be fully aired later on Wednesday but Sky News Arabia released some excerpts ahead of the broadcast.

Türkiye is a main backer of armed opposition fighters who have been trying to remove Assad from power and has carried out three major incursions into northern Syria since 2016. Turkish forces control parts of northern Syria.

Assad, who is backed by Russia and Iran, has managed over the past few years to retake most of the territory with the help of his allies, and turn the tide of war in his favor. Syrian insurgents and Türkiye-backed opposition forces now only hold a small northwestern corner of Syria, where fighting and violence have persisted.

“Terrorism in Syria is made in Türkiye,” Assad said.

He also denied rumors of an upcoming meeting between him and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan despite meetings between Türkiye and Syria’s defense and foreign ministers under Russian and Iranian mediation to restore strained ties.

Damascus maintains that Ankara must put forward a timetable for the withdrawal of Turkish troops from Syria in order to normalize relations. In May, the ministers agreed to set up a “roadmap” to improve relations.

“Erdogan’s objective in meeting me is to legitimize the Turkish occupation in Syria,” Assad said in Wednesday's interview. “Why should I and Erdogan meet? To have soft drinks?”

In recent months, Syria has also improved relations with some countries that had backed the opposition since the 2011 outbreak of the country's civil war.

For the first time in over a decade, Assad participated in the Arab League summit hosted by Saudi Arabia in May, marking Syria's return to the Arab fold. However, the United States has opposed normalizations with Damascus without a political solution to the conflict.

Some Arab countries have blamed Syria for the flow of drugs into oil-rich Gulf nations since the war began. The drug trade, estimated to be worth billions, has been a priority in regional talks with Damascus.

“The countries that created chaos in Syria are responsible for the drug business,” Assad said.

Assad said that a behind-the-scenes dialogue between Damascus and Washington that started several years ago and went on sporadically “did not lead to any results.” He claimed Damascus has been able “through different means” to overcome US sanctions.

One of the main topics discussed between US and Syrian officials over the past years was the fate of Americans who went missing in Syria, including journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared in 2012.

Two US officials — including Washington's top hostage negotiator, Roger Carstens — made a secret visit to Damascus some years ago to seek information on Tice and other missing Americans. It was the highest-level US talks in years with Assad's government, though Syrian officials offered no meaningful information on Tice.

Syria’s war has killed half a million people, wounded over a million, left large parts of the nation destroyed and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million. The fighting has mostly stalemated in the past years.

More than 5 million Syrians are refugees mostly in neighboring countries, Türkiye, Lebanon and Jordan.

“We knew since the start of the war that it is going to be long,” Assad said.



Malaysia Calls for Rejection of Forced Palestinian Displacement Plan

The Malaysian Foreign Minister attending the recent OIC Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Makkah (Asharq Al-Awsat).
The Malaysian Foreign Minister attending the recent OIC Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Makkah (Asharq Al-Awsat).
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Malaysia Calls for Rejection of Forced Palestinian Displacement Plan

The Malaysian Foreign Minister attending the recent OIC Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Makkah (Asharq Al-Awsat).
The Malaysian Foreign Minister attending the recent OIC Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Makkah (Asharq Al-Awsat).

Kuala Lumpur has stressed the need for unified condemnation of a plan aimed at annexing Gaza and forcibly displacing the Palestinian people, urging nations with influence over Israel to push for a resolution to the crisis.
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat on the sidelines of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) foreign ministers’ meeting in Makkah on Friday, Malaysian Foreign Minister Seri Utama Haji Mohamad bin Haji Hasan called on major global powers and institutions to denounce the displacement plan.
Hasan expressed hope that the OIC, in coordination with UN agencies and other international bodies, could advance a comprehensive recovery and reconstruction plan for war-torn countries such as Lebanon and Syria. He also reaffirmed confidence in Saudi Arabia’s pivotal role in driving collective action forward.
Malaysia, he added, will coordinate with like-minded nations to facilitate emergency relief efforts, capacity-building initiatives, and medium- to long-term reconstruction projects, particularly in Gaza and potentially beyond.
The minister further stated that his country remains committed to achieving a just, lasting, and sustainable peace for Palestine. He reiterated Malaysia’s strong support for early recovery, reconstruction, and development in Gaza, in line with Egypt’s proposal at the Extraordinary Arab Summit for Palestine held in Cairo on March 4, 2025.
He noted that Kuala Lumpur urges all OIC members to fully back this initiative, stressing that a permanent solution is essential to establishing an independent Palestinian state. This, he emphasized, should be based on a two-state solution in accordance with international law and UN resolutions, with East Jerusalem as its capital along the pre-1967 borders.
The foreign minister underscored that the establishment of a Palestinian state would bring much-needed peace and stability to the region, particularly in Lebanon and Syria. He also stressed the right of all displaced Palestinians, whether in Egypt, Jordan, or elsewhere, to return to their homeland.
Hasan condemned any call for the forced displacement of Palestinians or the annexation of Gaza, describing it as not only “unrealistic and impractical” but also as an act of “ethnic cleansing and a grave violation of international law.” Such measures, he argued, constitute a direct affront to justice and human rights.
“The proposal has faced near-universal rejection,” he said, “strongly opposed by countries worldwide and, above all, by Arab and Islamic communities. The urgency of this crisis is precisely why the Arab and Islamic world has come together to take decisive action.”
Malaysia, he added, has consistently condemned Israel’s war and its violations against Palestinians, as well as Tel Aviv’s persistent attempts to undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria. He reaffirmed Malaysia’s commitment to multilateralism, respect for international law, and the UN system.
Saudi-Malaysian Relations: Stronger Than Ever
On the state of bilateral ties between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia, Hasan described the relationship as “stronger than ever,” citing regular high-level engagement between the two nations. He noted that he maintains close communication with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, with both countries recently intensifying cooperation in key sectors such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, renewable energy, infrastructure, and science and technology.
To ensure effective collaboration, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia have established the Saudi-Malaysian Coordination Council (SMCC), co-led by the two foreign ministers. The council is responsible for planning, managing, and overseeing the implementation of strategic initiatives within a structured timeframe, ensuring tangible progress in areas of mutual interest.