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Erdogan: Turkish Intelligence Contacts with Damascus will Determine 'Ties Roadmap'

An international humanitarian aid convoy heads to Idlib governorate on September 17, 2022. (AFP)
An international humanitarian aid convoy heads to Idlib governorate on September 17, 2022. (AFP)
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Erdogan: Turkish Intelligence Contacts with Damascus will Determine 'Ties Roadmap'

An international humanitarian aid convoy heads to Idlib governorate on September 17, 2022. (AFP)
An international humanitarian aid convoy heads to Idlib governorate on September 17, 2022. (AFP)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that his country’s contacts with the Syrian regime were currently limited to the intelligence service, based on which Türkiye would set the road map for its relations with Damascus.

Erdogan repeated the threat of a military operation in northern Syria, calling on Russia and the United States to implement the understandings signed with his country in 2019, which stipulate clearing the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, the largest component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), from within 30 km (19 miles) of its border.

In a television interview on Wednesday evening, Erdogan said that the Turkish intelligence service was holding talks in Damascus, based on which Türkiye would determine its road map.

Turkish and Western reports said that the head of the Turkish intelligence, Hakan Fidan, held a series of talks with the head of the Syrian National Security Office, Ali Mamlouk, in Damascus, following similar meetings in Moscow and Tehran.

Turkish media stated that the meetings discussed the conditions offered by both sides, and the means to draw up a “road map for the safe return of Syrians in Türkiye to their country.”

Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said last week that there were currently no plans to conduct contacts at the political or diplomatic level with the Syrian regime.

For his part, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal al-Miqdad told Russian Sputnik agency that no communication was taking place at the level of the two foreign ministries. He added that his country considered the Astana process as the only path for a political solution.

Meanwhile, Erdogan renewed his threat to launch a Turkish military operation in northern Syria, which he had previously announced in May, saying that it would include SDF positions in Manbij and Tal Rifaat.

He stressed the need for the SDF to withdraw 30 kilometers south of the Turkish border, in line with the understandings with Russia and the United States, based on which Türkiye halted the Spring of Peace military operation in October 2019.

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Islamabad: 50,000 Pakistanis Are Missing in Iraq

Every year, millions of Shiites flock to religious sites in Iraq’s Najaf and Karbala. (EPA)
Every year, millions of Shiites flock to religious sites in Iraq’s Najaf and Karbala. (EPA)
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Islamabad: 50,000 Pakistanis Are Missing in Iraq

Every year, millions of Shiites flock to religious sites in Iraq’s Najaf and Karbala. (EPA)
Every year, millions of Shiites flock to religious sites in Iraq’s Najaf and Karbala. (EPA)

Pakistan’s Minister of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Chaudhry Salik Hussain sparked controversy when he revealed that 50,000 Pakistanis have gone missing in Iraq over the years.

He urged the Baghdad government to immediately launch a probe into how the Pakistanis entered Iraq to visit religious sites during the month of Muharram, he was quoted as saying by Pakistan’s Ummat newspaper.

Islamabad is investigating how people have traveled outside Pakistan through illegal means, he remarked.

The permanent committee for religious affairs and interfaith harmony has since proposed new policies for trips to holy sites in foreign countries, including Iraq.

In Iraq, the minister’s comments drew mockery and condemnation on social media and sparked renewed debate over illegal workers in the country.

Politician Mishaan al-Juburi urged the government to make a statement over Hussain’s comments, warning that they may impact security and the labor force.

Hussain’s comments coincided with Iraqi police announcing the arrest of six Pakistanis in Baghdad on charges of theft.

Previously, military intelligence also announced the arrest of a nine-member Pakistani kidnapping and extortion gang in Baghdad. The gang had kidnapped foreigners for ransom.

Meanwhile, Labor Minister Ahmed al-Asadi expressed his concern and condemnation over the increasing number of illegal workers in Iraq.

He said his ministry will investigate the disappearance of the Pakistanis.

He confirmed that several tourists, including Pakistanis, have flocked to Iraq in recent days, and many have taken up employment without the necessary legal permits.

He warned that this phenomenon is negatively impacting the national economy.

The ministry will not be lenient in taking the necessary legal measures against the violators, he vowed.

Iraq welcomes all tourists, whether they are here on a religious visit or otherwise, but they must respect local laws and regulations, declared Asadi.

Every year, millions of Shiites flock to religious sites in Iraq’s Najaf and Karbala.